Hey all, sorry I haven't posted in a little bit on here, I've gotten a bit busy with a new job, a new wife, really just everything changing up. But, as always, the Sonic shines through the business of life and as part of my 'pre-gaming' for the upcoming release of Sonic X Shadow Generations, I figured it was finally time to get around to 100%ing Sonic Generations on 3DS.
COMPARED TO THE HD VERSION...
Sonic Generations on 3DS is very much a de-make of the console version, but one that does a good job within its constraints to make an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
Emerald Coast Act 1 - Sonic Generations, SEGA/Dimps
The structure of the game is similar to the HD version, with stages split across 3 'eras', the Classic, Dreamcast, and Modern eras. Each stage has 2 acts, one where you play as a representation of the 'classic' Sonic from Sonic 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles, and one where you play as the 'modern' Sonic from Sonic Adventure onwards. In this version of the game, Modern Sonic plays very similarly to Sonic from Rush, Rush Adventure, and Colors on DS, rather than like Unleashed from the HD Version. This makes the game reflect the previous handheld games in the Sonic series, which is a really nice touch for the handheld version of this game.
DRAWBACKS
The stage count for this game is unfortunately lower than the HD version, dropping two stages and bringing the count to only 7. On the upside, each stage other than Green Hill is a new stage not found in the HD version, which is a great touch, with Water Palace even coming from Sonic Rush, which is one of Sonic's previous handheld games. I do wish that the game had a stronger focus in this direction, with each other stage coming from games already represented in the HD version of the game. Wouldn't it have been cool to see Bridge Zone, Aqua Lake Zone, and Sunset Park Zone from the various Sonic Game Gear games reinterpreted to fit the very different 3D art style?
Aqua Lake Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog 2, SEGA
The stage count being 7 also means that the Chaos Emeralds are now mapped to each stage rather than being mapped to boss battles, and are obtained in special stages, similar to the ones from Sonic Heroes. The bosses are still here, but the bosses are all different which is great to see! The rivals are still here as well, but instead of being fought in their own unique stages they're raced in stages that you've already been to (strangely putting Silver in uh... Tropical Resort and Metal Sonic in Casino Night Zone?).
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE LEVEL DESIGN
On a level design basis - I'd say this game actually does a pretty good job. For some reason, I remember this game being a bit unforgiving and cheap with its level design, but on replay I've found it to be rather harmless, and with some good set pieces as well to make the game visually distinct. Even the level I remember being the worst about it (Radical Highway Act 2) was a pretty easy S-Rank this time around. I suppose it could be down to my skill just improving, but I haven't played this game in a few years so that seems unlikely. The game has a pretty nice flow to it, especially as Modern Sonic, where there's lots of alternate paths that require you to quickly react to oncoming obstacles, and that's what this whole 'Sonic' thing is all about.
The Classic Sonic level design isn't quite as good, with lots of the level design actually being direct one-to-one conversions of their Genesis counterparts, which is pretty lazy in my opinion. Slightly more creatively, the later levels he has are actually 2D conversions of the original counterparts. This is a cool idea, but I can't help but feel that the levels would be more fun and interesting if they had original designs that allowed them to use original setpieces and gimmicks like the Modern stages and the stages from the HD version. The upside of this though, is that the Classic Sonic physics are actually much more accurate to the Genesis originals, at least compared to the HD version where Sonic's spin dash sends him flying off at 100 miles per hour (which is actually pretty fun, this is a bit of a downgrade in my opinion).
STYLE AND FLAIR
The game's presentation is also really stellar. The game maintains the UI styling from the console game, so the motifs across the game carry the interface to look really slick. In game visuals are quite good, being in full 3D (both environments and support of the 3DS's 3D effect), and with solid art direction for the most part (although Water Palace looks a little bit rough).
Water Palace Act 2 - Sonic Generations, SEGA/Dimps
In the Modern Sonic stages I really appreciate the camera work as well, often pulling it back behind Sonic to give the player a slightly farther viewing distance for the player, which is a nice touch for playability and for spectacle purposes. The soundtrack for this game is also stellar, just like the HD version. The advantage to this game having different stages is that we also get a whole load of different music tracks. Some of my favorites here are the remixes used in the Big Arms and Biolizard boss fights, they really amplify what the original songs were trying to do in such good ways.
THE COMPLETION EXPERIENCE
The 100% completion experience here as well is quite fun. The S-Ranks are manageable to obtain in each stage, and I like the inclusion of S-Ranks for the special stages to give them a bit more challenge. The real kicker here is the missions mode, where there's 100 missions for you to complete. These usually follow a couple of patterns - collect a certain number of rings, beat a stage without dying, etc. - and are generally pretty easy. There's no ranks on these, but completing them unlocks various items for the gallery - illustrations, music, and 3D models. For some reason though, each mission takes 3DS play coins to unlock, which I acknowledge not everybody has or is able to earn - which is a bit of a disappointment. Maybe make mission unlocking tied to beat the stage first as a prerequisite, so the stages don't get spoiled? I'm sure there was a better way to do this. Most of my playtime was spent on these missions and they're a fine way to spend time, but they don't do anything crazy, so they're very take it or leave it for me.
The game also has a multiplayer race mode, which previously featured online play before the 3DS servers shut down. I did actually get a chance to try this mode out before that, which was great, and I always wished that the modern games had some multiplayer aspect. I've certainly had some pretty good memories playing this game with my friends in the past and I'm glad I got to experience that before it got shut down. It's nothing crazy, but I'm glad it's included.
WRAPPING UP
Overall, as a package, I'd say Sonic Generations on 3DS is a good side-dish to the main Sonic Generations game on HD consoles and PC. It includes new levels and a few new ideas, but with clearly scaled back production value and budget, leading to fewer levels and rehashed ideas in missions. I'd say that despite those compromises this is a good package worth playing, the level design and overall fun factor of the game makes it a great companion to that bigger release, especially with Sonic X Shadow Generations on the horizon.
Thank you guys for reading! If you've played this game, let me know what you thought below, and let me know if you're excited to try Sonic X Shadow Generations this Friday! Talk to you all later, and don't forget to Play Without Limits!
-Classic Mikey
Sonic Generations 3DS - 3Demaking