Sonic Generations

"New Sonic, New Hope"


Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: TBA
Platform(s): PS3, X360
Genre: 3D Platformer



Believing in a new proposal involving SEGA's mascot has been increasingly complicated. It is clear that justice has been done, with Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 seemingly being a nice turnaround, as well as proving that the folks at Sonic Team can still manage to forge a good old-fashioned Sonic game. But the question remains: It is essentially a new-old Sonic game? Believing in a new proposal involving SEGA's mascot has been increasingly complicated. Even among the most ardent fans of the series, the policy of "now go!" has gradually lost its breath - almost to the point of extinction in Sonic Unleashed. To answer the question earlier, this is essentially a new-old Sonic game. The result of the obvious difficulties to bring the series to the current generation is finally coming into fruition.


Apparently, fresh air has come to Green Hill. On one side, Sonic Colors seemed to show that yes, it is possible to produce something genuinely new with Sonic as still the protagonist. Moreover, it is impossible for any fan not to refill enthusiasm for the proposed Sonic Generations. To commemorate Sonic's 20th anniversary, Sega decided to bet on a promising approach as radical as it might be: the old and new versions of the hedgehog merged together in the same game.

 

Here's the "story" that should pack the very particular crossover from SEGA: Sonic in modern times - with green eyes and strangely inclined to say things like "cool!" - Back in time and meets with his counterparts of the heyday of the series. Both then joined forces against a terrible menace intent on destroying the past. Not much has been mentioned so far, but the story has never really been a focal point of the franchise.


Sonic Team's proposal for Generations could be placed as follows: all elements that constituted the best titles together in a single Hedgehog game. On one hand there is the classic Sonic, whose style remains exactly the same as the golden years in Genesis - in which a jump button and a directional pad solved the whole problem. On the other hand, there is the acrobatic three-dimensional of a modern Sonic, completed with all its characteristic elements: targeted leap, dash attacks and more.


Regarding specifically to the Generations' classic stages, an interview given by executive producer Takashi Iizuka can be very useful. I mean, when considering a remake of the first games of the character, it's easy to mention Sonic 4. "In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, we really do not revisit old physics, we try to create something new," says Iizuka. He then continues: "What we did was in response of fans requests.Now with Sonic Generations, "we created a completely different game with totally different physical reactions." In other words, while Sonic 4 has offered a glimpse of the early years of the franchise, you won’t find the same feeling in Generations.

 

It is impossible not to feel a twinge of nostalgia to appreciate the new-old Green Hill Zone. Apparently, everything is there - although the result is a kind of fusion between various stage constructions launched over the years. The same must happen with different scenarios of the classic series. In addition, there are sections in 3D based on Unleashed and Colors, in which the camera spins madly on all sides, looking truly cinematic angles - contributing to Sonic Adventure, of course. What’s more interesting is that each scene is wrought in both 2D and 3D, since they all are available for both versions.


I mean, how about a fully three-dimensional Chemical Plant? As said, it is difficult to contain one’s enthusiasm, mainly because Sonic Generations features a fast and relentless hedgehog, the same character that helped build the childhood of many people. Anyway, now remains whether the rhetoric that has summed up Sonic Team in a nutshell is really justified. After all, it's all here: new and old Sonic together with all the best elements of the series from past games to the current generation. There is hope. You probably will not be the only one.


Sonic Generations is scheduled for release later this year. Stay tuned!


Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed