Sonic Generations Preview

The buzz is growing and fans are becoming more and more excited for Sonic Generations.  Could it be?  Could Sega have put out a Sonic the Hedgehog game that truly captures what that pot-bellied, spiky-haired blur once was and should be?  The 20^th anniversary edition seems to have done just that in their reversion to Sonic’s soft lines and focus on speed.

When I was at E3 this year, I had the pleasure of being able to roll into the SEGA booth and try out Sonic Generations.  Sonic falls into a “time hole” that transports him back in time where he meets both his former friends and his younger self.  To me, the storyline sounds like its right out of a J.J. Abrams movie so how could I possibly say no?  Sonic teams up with these characters from the past to help him free his friends and defeat his enemies all the while, trying to uncover the mysterious villain who’s behind the creation of the “time holes.”

Sonic Generations merges Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic into one game.  For all you original fans out there, the game brings the nostalgic feeling that you once had playing with your SEGA Genesis in your parent’s basement and combines it with the excitement and fast-action play of the more modern editions of the Sonic franchise.

First and foremost, I was drawn in by the sense of speed; when you take control of Sonic, you really have the feeling of being behind something powerful.  As you zip through the level, one can’t help but feel an adrenaline rush as you see the environment around you fade into a blur.  Despite the speed, you feel very much in control and it’s easy to stay on course, even when defying gravity on some of the classic loops.

SEGA is very excited about the launch, as it encompasses all 20 years worth of Sonic excitement all “rolled” into one.  The game includes side-scrolling elements in levels that players may be familiar with, such as Green Hill Zone, from classic versions while being able to seamlessly integrate 3-D mechanics.   Amazingly, I didn’t notice any frame-rate drops while playing the game at E3 this year, which I believe is what made the experience not only favourable, but kept me wanting more.

What makes this game great for some of our readers at AbleGamers is that the control scheme has been kept relatively simple using only the D-pad and a single face button for the majority of gameplay.  The game is very colorful and it will be interesting to see what options will be put into place that could make the game more accessible.  In my short time of playing it at E3, I didn’t notice any options for subtitles or increasing of size of on-screen displays, but from what I can tell, these options aren’t needed in a game like Sonic.

The game is slated to be released in late 2011 and will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo 3DS.   For the Nintendo 3DS owners, you’ll be happy to know that the game boasts a two-player versus mode and utilizes “Street Pass” for collecting new content.