I am going to be completely honest with you, when I first heard about Sonic Generations, the newest adventure slated for release later this year, I thought nothing of it. I thought it was just another mediocre game being cranked out for the sake of having a new Sonic game to appease the fans and make the money. But after playing the game myself and asking a few questions about it during my time in the Sega booth, I have to say I am very impressed by what I played.
The story has a new enemy creating time holes that suck in Sonic and his friends. After meeting his past self, Sonic from the present and Sonic from the past must team up to stop this mysterious foe and save his friends and the very fabric of time itself. The game will bring you two very different forms of Sonic as well as a new take on some of your favorite levels spanning 20 years of Sonic’s history while also including 3D functionality.
The past Sonic’s gameplay is what you would expect from the original Sonic. It’s side-scrolling fun with improved HD graphics, a remastered 8-bit soundtrack, and 3D capabilities. The level we were able to demo was a completely reworked Green Hill Zone. The level seemed very fast paced and kept me on my guard jumping and hitting mechanical baddies like there was no tomorrow. It definitely brought back a huge wave of nostalgia as the scenery flew by and the music was playing.
Present Sonic’s playstyle closely resembles his Sonic Adventure days as he has a wider array of moves that are exclusive to him. His version of the Green Hill Zone was more fast paced that past Sonic’s and showed off his wider set of skills. While playing as the present Sonic, the camera will switch between a side-scrolling view and a behind the back view that gives you a better look at what is ahead of you. When you come across a low wall, a button prompt appears and you can slide under while keeping your forward momentum going. Miss the prompt, and you lose speed and that can cost you precious seconds on your time. Present Sonic also has the ability to do homing attacks on his enemies making them easier to hit as well as giving you a bonus to your boost bar. The boost bar can be used to give you that extra little burst of speed to improve your time or make up for lost time should you get slowed down. Boost can also be acquired by pulling off combos in mid-air.
After playing the two levels in the demo, I was left presently surprised and wanting to play more. The levels were well designed and allows a skilled player to move through the level quickly and flows smoothly without hiccups in design to halt them. I definitely look forward to playing the full game when it releases later this year. Also look for our review closer to the time it releases.
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