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[Carbo]

Welcome to the revamped Sonic Generations: Preview Topic!

This topic will serve as a hub for discussing, posting and archiving the previews, interviews and various Q&A's for this game. With so many pages circulating the debates this revamped OP will serve as an archival for the hot news of things to come.

Due to video limitations that are imposed in posts previews or videos that are on YouTube won't be posted unless the source site can be located. These previews will go down into the Video section instead.

This is an encompassing initiative so everything counts. If there's an old preview missing in this list however that has information worth having, drop me a PM and I'll add it.

Joystiq

• Preview: April 18, 2011

GameSpot

• Preview (AU): April 18, 2011
• Preview: E3 2011
• Video Preview: October 4, 2011

Gamereactor Sweden

• Preview: April 18, 2011 (Side note: This preview confirms Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, the writers of Sonic Colors, helming the script of the game)

Kotaku

• Preview: April 18, 2011

IGN

• Preview (UK): April 18, 2011
• Preview: E3 2011
• Five Reasons We're Going Fanboy Crazy for Generations: October 11, 2011

MTV

• Preview: April 18, 2011

CVG

• Preview: April 18, 2011
• Preview: June 30, 2011
• Preview: October 5, 2011

G4TV

• Preview: April 18, 2011

LEVEL Magazine

• LEVEL Magazine (Issue 61) (Side note: Confirms a sort of overworld/hubworld, scans follow later pages.)

PSX Extreme

• Preview: May 3 2011

GameInformer

• Preview: April 18, 2011

Official Xbox Magazine

• Preview and Q&A (UK): Issue 73, June 2011

Destructoid

• Preview: May 20, 2011
• Preview: E3 (Side note: Comments on the stereoscopic 3D.)

Gamesradar

• Preview: May 23, 2011
• Preview: October 5, 2011

Gamingtruth

• Preview: June 12, 2011

Gematsu

• Preview: June 15, 2011 (Side note: Team hints at the inclusion of Wisp Powers in potential Sonic Colors stages.)

X360 Magazine

• Preview: Issue 73, July, 2011

Games Master

• Preview: 27 July, 2011

DigitalSpy

• Preview: 19 August, 2011 (Side note: Seems to confirm the possibility of getting recreations of zones not included in the game, as part of a zone within a zone)

MyNiritori

• Preview: 18 August, 2011

The Gamers Hub

• Preview: 18 August, 2011

All About Games

• Preview: August (Side note: Explains the story's first cutscene in detail)

Spong

• Preview: 5 October, 2011

Team Xbox

• New York Comic-Con Preview: 16 October, 2011

Complex.com

• New York Comic-Con Preview: 16 October, 2011

3DS Previews

Nintendo Power

• 3DS Preview + Q&A: May/June? (Side note: Contains extensive 3DS information along with confirmation of exclusive zones and bosses.)

Nintendolife

• 3DS Preview: 20 July, 2011

Official Nintendo Magazine (UK)

• 3DS Preview: July

GamesRadar

• 3DS Preview: 20 July, 2011

3DS Tribe

• Preview: 21 July, 2011

Gamereactor Europe

• Preview: 28 July, 2011

Cubed3

• Preview: 28 July, 2011

Pocket Gamer

• Preview: 22 August, 2011

Q&A's and Interviews

Sonic Stadium

• Sonic Stadium: Sonic Generations Q&A (June 14, 2011)

On the Tuesday afternoon of E3, Alex and I got the privilege of seeing the first new footage of City Escape from Sonic Generations played by Takashi Iizuka himself. Seeing little classic Sonic going through the famous SA2 level was a thrill. We saw as the large GUN truck made every attempt possible to run down the roly-poly hedgehog as two new remixes of “Escape from the city” played through both levels. As he played through he told some interesting tidbits including the fact that outside of Green Hill zone, all stages on the 3DS will be different from the HD versions and will have levels based on the portable versions of Sonic’s games. Also voice overs will be done for all nationalities. Not just Japanese and English. He quit the last level as the GUN truck with it’s giant sawblades ran over modern Sonic as he ran out of boost. Here, our Q&A commenced.

• Sonic Stadium: Interview with Aaron Webber (July 28, 2011) (Side note: Talks about appearances of side characters in the game, along with the leak being unfinished material)

At one of the demo stations, I found Sonic brand manager Aaron Webber. Trust me when I say there’s no more likable fella working at Sega. Look at him. He’s just so gosh darn huggable ya wanna stuff him in your Warner Bros Comic Con bag and take him home with “AHEM!” Anyway, as he manned the station, many people were checking out the demo. Mostly the modern version. In fact, one fan kept coming back every day and managed to beat Aaron’s record on modern by one second! When he had some time, we went to the back of the Archie booth and set up an interview.

Videos

Gametrailers

• Green Hill Zone Demo Gameplay
• Green Hill Zone E3 2011 Gameplay (Cam)
• Generations 3DS E3 2011 Gameplay (Cam)
• E3 2011: Modern Sonic Walkthrough (Cam)
• E3 2011: Classic Sonic Walkthrough (Cam)
• Debut Teaser
• Classic & Modern Trailer
• City Escape Trailer
• Through The Ages [Montage]
• Present Meets Past Trailer
• Genesis Era Trailer
• Dreamcast Era Trailer
• Modern Era Trailer
• Bosses Trailer

GameSpot

• E3 2011: Sonic Generations Interview with Aaron Webber
• Sonic Generations E3 2011 Stage Demo
• Sonic Generations Daily Demo

IGN

• IGN Live: Sonic Generations

G4TV

• Sonic Generations First-Look Preview

CNET TV

• Full Sky Sanctuary, Full Seaside Hill, Death Egg Robo Playthrough

As of October 17, the Preview Topic is no longer in commission. If members want to add more previews, PM them and they'll be added into the main archive. Look forward to the Review Topic, opening October 24th.

Edited by Carbo, 19 October 2011 - 06:56 PM.

[spunodi]

Gamereactor.se confirmed that the writers of the game are the Colors writers.

Awesome! If I wasn't already, I am now Day 1.

[Rusty Spy]

While Sonic's older iteration stuck with a fixed 2D camera, the younger version is more brazen, switching from first-person to 2D and exploring many in-betweens along the way (controlled by the game and not the player, notably).

Oh jeez now this is confusing.

He says "Sonic's older iteration", which could mean Classic (being older chronologically) or Modern (being more 'grown up' than his classic counterpart, but then says it's stuck on a fixed 2D plane, which means Classic, right? But THEN he says the 'younger version' (Classic), is more brazen, switching from first-person (don't you mean 3D?) to 2D.

[Azure Yakuzu]

Oh yeah I should also mention;
Gamereactor.se confirmed that the writers of the game are the Colors writers.

hopefully it'll have a better sense of humor, and more mature jokes.

[sonfan1984]

Oh yeah I should also mention;
Gamereactor.se confirmed that the writers of the game are the Colors writers.

Awesome, but which one? The Wii or DS version?

[Blue Blood]

Joystiq can't make their mind up about which Sonic is which! Haha! I love that part about the mechanical fish chasing you though. Sounds pretty immense.

@ sonicfan1984: The Wii version obviously, that's why they've mentioned it. The DS script was nothing special, and was built from the Wii one.

[PC the Hedgehog]

Kotaku

IGN

[Core]

Though the skinnier, younger version of Sonic embraces speed and various camera angles (giving the impression of a deeper, more involved game), his version of Green Hill Zone felt more like an on-rails pinball machine. Skinny Sonic was tossed mercilessly around the stage with little inspiration from the Xbox controller, reminding me why I haven't been inclined towards Sonic titles in recent years. A handful of QTEs and scripted encounters helped to make this mode feel "bigger," but the actual interaction seemed distinctly scaled back to allow for cinematic events.

I'm rather worried by this. It sounds like Modern Sonic gameplay is going to have the same problems as before.

Oh yeah I should also mention;
Gamereactor.se confirmed that the writers of the game are the Colors writers.

I'm also worried by this. Hopefully this time they'll be targeting the game at everyone rather than just little children.

[ChikaBoing]

"In [Sonic the Hedgehog 4] Episode I, we didn't actually return to the old physics, and nor did we try to create something totally new," Iizuka says, "What we tried to do was respond to the voices we heard in the fans, and create something based on the feedback we were receiving from fans. On this occasion, with Sonic Generations, we've created a game with a totally different game and with completely different physics."

Different, but for classic 2D Sonic it's exactly the same – or, more accurately, it's exactly the same as you remember it. Sonic's movement seems much less stilted in Generations than it was in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and gaining and maintaining momentum is a much more satisfying affair.

That's good to hear.

I'm rather worried by this. It sounds like Modern Sonic gameplay is going to have the same problems as before.

Automatic stuff has been there since 12 years. Did you really think it would change?

Edited by ChikaBoing, 18 April 2011 - 05:58 PM.

[Sega DogTagz]

as modern Sonic, I was playing a three-dimensional game, running, jumping air-dashing, building a boost meter and tricking in the air.

KOTAKU seems to imply that you'll have to work a bit harder to build boost this time around. It also vaguely mentions tricks, but I've heard that one before on past games, so I'll wait for some confirmation on that front before getting excited about a Rush - esc trick system.

[Scar]

Looks like people completely forgot this screenshot:


This gives me hope of actual 3D platforming.

[Blue Blood]

Looks like people completely forgot this screenshot:


This gives me hope of actual 3D platforming.

There's not much there, but it's something. And it looks pretty. And lets not forget that Unleashed HD did have some 3D platforming. Jungle Joyride, anyone?

[JaidynReiman]

Here's one thing I am curious about... Are the stages going to have the exact same layout, but Modern Sonic switches to 3D during certain points of the game, or does Modern Sonic get a completely different stage layout?

Either way, the transitional part we knew would be automated. Gamespot doesn't list all the same things that Joystiq did, though.

[Core]

Looks like people completely forgot this screenshot:


This gives me hope of actual 3D platforming.

It looks like it, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Considering how Unleashed and Colors were, it is very possible that on that picture you can only go on the platform with the spring but not on the little platforms above it, and that you're still confined in a narrow corridor.

[Eternal Xtreme]

Sonic Generations will be out later this year for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A Sega rep told me there's no Wii version because the game is fully HD. Odd. Sonic's been a star on Wii. They must have something else planned... (Sonic as a Vitality Sensor launch game? Make it happen!)

Well now we know why Wii won't be getting this game. Hmmm but what does Sega have up their sleeves? We all know Sega is gonna do something special for the wii (M&S does not count).

[Rusty Spy]

Looks like people completely forgot this screenshot:


This gives me hope of actual 3D platforming.

While it does look like a hope spot, what most of us(?) are hoping for is more space along the...... um...... *checks wikipedia* Y axis?
Wider paths rather than the usual corridor fest that Unleashed suffered from.

[Blue Blood]

Here's one thing I am curious about... Are the stages going to have the exact same layout, but Modern Sonic switches to 3D during certain points of the game, or does Modern Sonic get a completely different stage layout?

Either way, the transitional part we knew would be automated. Gamespot doesn't list all the same things that Joystiq did, though.

No, from the sounds and looks of it C.Sonic and M.Sonic will have their own stage completely. Makes me wonder how they do the bosses though...

[Agent York]

According to every preview, there were more than one path through each stage, usually involving a bottom, middle, and top path type of deal like the old games.

Also, it sounds like what their doing is that they are making it that both Sonic's have different stages entirely, set in the same location, but their way through it is different. It's not just "He's got 3D and he
s got 2D" but the levels themselves are different and depending who you select you take their version of the level. Classic Sonic jumps, runs, spin dashes, and rolls while Modern Sonic uses homing attacks, the third dimension, boosting, etc.

[Scar]

While it does look like a hope spot, what most of us(?) are hoping for is more space along the...... um...... *checks wikipedia* Y axis?
Wider paths rather than the usual corridor fest that Unleashed suffered from.

There is something above that though. It might be the case that you fall down into that area if you ain't good enough.
See the path cutting across the top there, that could be a different route.

Also, making a game wide isn't as easy as it seems, I mean they've got to have a cut-off point somewhere, and making things too wide could either cause people to not know where to go, or could result in just a vast empty space. Both of those things are not good.

It would be nice to see that in the future, but right now, the streamlined approach works just fine.

[Shadzter]

A handful of QTEs and scripted encounters helped to make this mode feel "bigger," but the actual interaction seemed distinctly scaled back to allow for cinematic events.

Noooooooooooooooo! Hope they're not like Unleashed's.