The Sonic Generations Review Topic

[Ferno]

What are the complaints that have been consistantly listed? Like the few problems that keep appearing?

Story for one. >w> Others include level selection, and gameplay, among other things.

naruto'd

Edited October 31, 2011 by Modern Inferno

[Ruby Havoc]

What are the complaints that have been consistantly listed? Like the few problems that keep appearing?

Graphics, controls, friend characters; the usual stuff.

[sonfan1984]

Mostly "Useless story", "BAWWW WHY U NO MORE CLASSIC LEVELS" and "BBAWWWWW SHITTY FRIENDS".

The critics complaints about this game is soooo predictable. I'm still betting that the 3DS version will score a lot higher then the console versions.

[Gatestormer]

I don't think Sonic Team can ever win on the length front. They pad the game out with hub worlds and big stories and they're criticized for being unnecessary additions that clog up the gameplay but they take those features out and then the games too short. If you took out the hub worlds and heavy story of Unleashed and just had the stages in a similar fashion that we have here, it would be about the same length as Generations.

Edited October 31, 2011 by ENVY

[HUNTER297]

The critics complaints about this game is soooo predictable. I'm still betting that the 3DS version will score a lot higher then the console versions.

Of course it will. I mean it only includes Sonic, Tails, EGGy, Metal, Shadow and Silver. BTW in one of those reviews I saw "shitty friends" and praising Shadow and Silver at the same time....... *confused*

[-Robin-]

Anyone link GamesTM? They gave the game a 7/10, but the review was in a positive tone throughout it all.

Sega celebrates its blue mascot’s twentieth birthday celebration with a big helping of speed, as Sonic Generations fuses the old and the new in an unforgettable platforming knees-up.

Back in 1997, Sega released a Saturn compilation of its previous Mega Drive titles, called Sonic Jam. Framed by a full 3D hub world, the player could explore in order to access both the games and a significant amount of bonus content, Sonic Jam broke the mould for retro collections at the time, and continues to be upheld as a shining example of how to celebrate a classic series. But with Sonic Generations, Sega may finally have raised its own bar.

Sonic Generations isn’t a retro compilation, of course. It’s actually more sophisticated than that. It’s an interactive celebration of Sonic’s entire 20-year career and is without doubt the finest tribute any game character has received to date. Sonic Team cleverly acknowledges that videogames, by their nature, are interactive and asks why not celebrate an anniversary with a game itself. This isn’t a publisher slapping a 20^th anniversary logo over the packaging; it’s a full game that takes in the length and breadth of Sonic history and remixes it into a cocktail of playable nostalgia.

Timelines collide in Sonic Generations in ways that will appeal to the fond memories of any player who’s been there from the start. Some examples… Sonic is chased by a giant mechanical fish from his Mega Drive debut, but in a style reminiscent of the iconic whale chase from Sonic Adventure. After revisiting Green Hill Zone, Sonic remarks that it feels awfully familiar, while Tails comments that he’s never seen it before, which, having debuted in Sonic The Hedgehog 2, he hasn’t. And late in the game when Tails meets Sonic’s long-time rival he calls him Dr Robotnik, only for Eggman to shout ‘Nobody calls me that any more’.

This isn’t a game that’s made just for those who regularly dust off their Mega Drive though. From the moment the story begins, with Sonic and all his furry chums enjoying a picnic together, it’s clear that this is a game for all Sonic fans, both retro and modern. And it’s remarkable that Sonic Team manages to serve both audiences equally, without denigrating either era. Previews have made a big deal of the existence of both the original 2D era version of Sonic and his modern, edgy, 3D era counterpart, but when you get your hands on the finished game you realise that this distinction isn’t so straightforward. You can choose to play as either Sonic, and each gets his own version of every playable zone, but those zones are neither strictly 2D nor 3D. They’re a true blend of styles that make excellent use of modern technology to re-present familiar locations, and though one does lean slightly closer to a side-scroller and the other to on-rails headlong rushes, the distinction has more to do with the handling model of each hedgehog.

Classic, chubby, Sonic is built as close as possible to the way you remember him in the Nineties. Complete with his Spin Dash move from Sonic 2, he’s a one-button character that runs along, jumping on heads and platforming upwards as much as he takes on loop-the-loops. He’s billed as a beginner’s character and his more considered pace may seem odd to players more familiar with his blisteringly fast modern equivalent.

Modern Sonic, meanwhile, is presented as a character for expert players – though you do have to play all his stages to complete the game – and this is largely because of the greater number of moves at his disposal. A much faster character due to his boost ability, modern Sonic can also use his homing attack to take on enemies, as well as cross gaps by combo bouncing from one enemy to another, and will gradually unlock more abilities as you progress through the game. Also able to slide dash under narrow gaps, stomp blocks from above and perform the Lightspeed Dash through a line of rings, he has a wide array of moves that demand much more skill and timing.

Sadly, it’s the added complexity of modern Sonic that’s responsible for the lowest points in Sonic Generations. Traditional platforming sections play perfectly while Wii-style running and grinding are fine, but get into an area that plays like those games from the first half of the last decade and it can all go a bit wrong. Mistime a lock-on attack and you could send Sonic hurtling into a bottomless pit. Move in a way that causes the camera to get confused and you could unintentionally run Sonic off in the wrong direction and, again, drop him down a bottomless pit. Perhaps this is Sonic Team fastidiously celebrating every era of Sonic, including his troublesome adolescence, but we doubt that, especially with no Werehog in sight. Instead, this is just another example of Sonic Team coming close to greatness but not getting it quite right.

Aside from those missteps, however, Sonic Generations is a genuine delight. Sure, we could do without the need to complete three challenge levels before being allowed to move on to the next series of proper stages, but with a whopping 90 of such levels on the disc there’s at least a ton of extra playable content here for those that fall in love with Sonic Generations. Those who are just along for the main ride will find it’s one of the best Sonic games in recent years. The dichotomy of play styles breathes new life into favourite stages as they’re re-envisioned and redesigned for Sonics they were never originally intended for, while some genuinely imaginative and exciting level design recaptures that core thrill – of rolling a hedgehog around a colourful fantasy world – that endeared so many to Sonic two decades ago.

VERDICT 7 /10

‘Open your heart, it’s gonna be alright’

http://www.gamestm.c...rations-review/

Edited October 31, 2011 by Razor Wind

[Crazizzle]

The score probably too low for my taste but they're gripes are maybe legitimate. I'll have to find out *shrugs*

No, I hear you. I just don't take the mag's opinions seriously at all.

Anyone link GamesTM? They gave the game a 7/10, but the review was in a positive tone throughout it all.

lol The problem with these aggregate scores pops up again.a 7 from these guys equals "really good". A 7 from some other site might mean seriously flawed.

[Dummy Bear]

lol The problem with these aggregate scores pops up again.a 7 from these guys equals "really good". A 7 from some other site might mean seriously flawed.

GamesTM is using the ratings system the way it's supposed to be used....

Which, in turn, means they're using it wrong.

[Crazizzle]

Cooljerk posted this at Retro, thought it illustrated the problem with GI:

That's not why they gave Paper Mario 2 a low score. That would actually have been a much better argument. The reason they gave paper mario 2 a low score - after a gushing text review I might add - was because they thought it was too kiddy. Seriously, the entire text of the review was glowing, calling it an amazingly fun game that made them laugh, then they gave it a low score with the explanation that they review games based on the way they think their audience expects the game to score, and that since their audience was into adult games, they wouldn't like paper mario 2. They later backed this claim up a few issues later in an editorial where they said that they don't take their own personal enjoyment of a game into consideration, they give scores based on what they think their readers want the game to get. They said that, since most of their readers play gritty games, they wouldn't like a light hearted game like paper mario 2 and scored it low to keep their readers from playing it.

I have both of these issues in question, and I can scan them if people can't believe that. GI really is the worst outlet.

GI is a joke, don't take it seriously.

[goku262002]

Yeah know what starting now I'm just going to wait out the entire next month for a final metacritc verdict and not let my emotions jump over every single review i did that with colors and regretted it. the gametrailers one is the only one I'll wait for since i want to see if their review will change from that "Handhelds = good, Consoles = Bad" verdict they gave colors.

I'm sure this game will do fine.

[sonfan1984]

That's not why they gave Paper Mario 2 a low score. That would actually have been a much better argument. The reason they gave paper mario 2 a low score - after a gushing text review I might add - was because they thought it was too kiddy. Seriously, the entire text of the review was glowing, calling it an amazingly fun game that made them laugh, then they gave it a low score with the explanation that they review games based on the way they think their audience expects the game to score, and that since their audience was into adult games, they wouldn't like paper mario 2. They later backed this claim up a few issues later in an editorial where they said that they don't take their own personal enjoyment of a game into consideration, they give scores based on what they think their readers want the game to get. They said that, since most of their readers play gritty games, they wouldn't like a light hearted game like paper mario 2 and scored it low to keep their readers from playing it.

I have both of these issues in question, and I can scan them if people can't believe that. GI really is the worst outlet.

WHAT?? That's hardly even fair. I'm so glad I don't read their mags anymore.

[SilentDoom]

Game Informer's mindset for Sonic games is disgustingly primitive.

Old skool good. New skool bad.

It's quite pathetic really.

[Crazizzle]

Honestly, it would be fine.....if it wasn't for their score counting outside the magazine. It'd be cool to include suggestions in reviews like "This is a great game, but if you like <fill in the blank>...you might not like it. But they don't actually state it, they hold up the image that the scores represent objective quality. It's a fraud.

As an RPG fan, reviews kill me. I read reviews of "great" RPG's and none of the magazines point out what type of RPG it is or how it plays ....I have to watch youtube playthroughs to know if something is what I like. Old school Eastern RPG. I'm tired of buying games like Resonance of Fate and finding out it's strategy based...which no reviews point out. Great job, guys.

Anyways, off topic there. Ignore GI.

[turbojet]

Hahaha oh wow...Dissident...Turbo...its time to tear this to shreds.

OOOH YEAH!

Where to begin?

Sonic Generations aims to bridge the gap between old and new fans by revisiting stages throughout the series with both 2D and 3D gameplay. The result is a timeline that starts out strong and slowly deteriorates, serving as an apt history lesson for the struggling series.

Okay explaining the game's concept. This is nice.

The quest begins with side-scrolling tributes to memorable Genesis-era stages as classic Sonic. These levels rekindled the magic of being a wide-eyed kid seeing Sonic’s world for the first time.

Okay this just reeks of nostalgia and misplaced bias right here.

Platforming is slightly tighter than in Sonic 4, which makes landing precise jumps easier. Tearing through loop de loops in Green Hill and bouncing across clouds in Sky Sanctuary are among my favorite Sonic moments, and they translate perfectly.

Yep. Good times...now it is time to grow up and realize that you are a man.

Unfortunately, the good times fade when Sonic begins cruising through 2D versions of levels from post-Dreamcast Sonic games.Traversing the burning ruins of Crisis City from the awful 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog reboot is an exercise in frustration packed with unfair drop-offs and annoying gales.

So you are essentially mad that this whole game wasn't Classics? Really? Are you fucking serious?

As for unfair drop-offs, the game literally puts a red sign where there are pits thus indicating that one should be careful when traversing. And I love how you praise Sky Sanctuary, the original fucking pit stage, but get on Crisis City's dick(silver-hedgie joke) as if SS was nothing but paths, paths, paths. You are a fucking nostalgiafag.

Playing as modern 3D Sonic presents the same steady drop in fun.

Okay this surprised me because I expected him to bash Modern Sonic.

Speeding across double helix pipes and dodging chemical geysers in Chemical Plant makes for some of the best 3D Sonic Adventure-style action the series has seen, but things go south when you break into the last-gen titles.

Here we go.

Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Heroes didn’t thrill me, and revisiting reworked versions only serves to remind me of how uninspired they are.

Yes, these are totally uninspired. What the hell does that mean?

Legacy issues, like wonky platforming and poorly communicated pitfalls, plague these later levels.

How much does a game have to communicate to a player about pitfalls when they literally put signs saying...there is a pitfall? Are you dense?

The last half of the game serves only to remind you of how far the series has fallen from its original form. I felt smothered by Sonic Team’s insistence on shoehorning recent Sonic games, no matter how awful, into the 20-year timeline. Why would Sega pass up full level tributes to Sonic 3 or Sonic CD in favor of a remixed version of a stage from Sonic Colors, which released only a year ago?

What does this have to do with the game that you are reviewing? And why should Sonic Team rehash all the classic levels for you 30 somethings, therefore blatantly ignoring the fans of today?

At the end of the game, old and new Sonic part ways. As they do, modern Sonic says to his retro doppelganger, “Hey Sonic, enjoy your future, it’s going to be great!” If he only knew

So this entire review was "Classic Sonic" stages should have been more prevalent and I don't understand the concept of difficulty increases as the game progresses. As for Modern Sonic's advice, he should have told Classic that some of your fans turn into post-pubescent bitches who do nothing credible with their lives but become video game reviewers because they couldn't get into real journalism and they let their past experiences as children cloud their judgement.

Fuck this guy.

Edited October 31, 2011 by turbojet

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Cooljerk posted this at Retro, thought it illustrated the problem with GI:

GI is a joke, don't take it seriously.

Someone ask Cooljerk to scan those issues and have someone provide them via PM. That could very useful to archive.

Oh, and great dissection, Turbojet!

Edited October 31, 2011 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[SilentDoom]

turbojet, you good sir, deserve a freaking medal. Comments like yours inspire me even more to create a review of this game when it comes out! Unfortunately, I don't get it til November 4th, and it would take a lot of preparation :<

[Soniman]

Speeding across double helix pipes and dodging chemical geysers in Chemical Plant makes for some of the best 3D Sonic Adventure-style action the series has seen, but things go south when you break into the last-gen titles.

Things go south when the 3D level design actually gets interesting and I actually have to think.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Soniman032-

[Insane Elite]

GameInformer's review is an insult against journalism. It's a celebration of Sonic's 20 years, not of his first four.

[Match]

Honestly not surprised with GI's "review," considering they haven't said anything I agree with in six years.

[Xenos]

Wait, so, reviewers are complaining about Shitty Friends?

You guys might not remember... but I fucking told you so.

[Robuttnik]

In the Dreamcast days Sonic games were reviewed with bias in Sonic's favour. Now the bias is still there but this time it's negative bias. Maybe one day a Sonic game will come out on a console and be reviewed objectively. Probably wishful thinking.

[sonfan1984]

Wait, so, reviewers are complaining about Shitty Friends?

You guys might not remember... but I fucking told you so.

I think a lot of us already knew that they will complain about Sonic's friends being in the game anyway. If Sonic's friends aren't in this game, I bet they'll still get bashed and reviewers will find something else to complain about.

[Blue Blood]

Metaritic 360: 77/10

Metacritic PS3:78/100

All reviews: 78/100

[Djawed]

Honestly not surprised with GI's "review," considering they haven't said anything I agree with in six years.

I skimmed through some of their reviews just now. Mostly agree with alot of the scores but the ones that interested me the most are some of the sega games like house of the dead overkill, alien infestations and the HD remake of guardian heroes. All games I personally am anticpating and all scoring well with well written reviews backing up the scores.

Gameinformer ain't my main review source but I don't see anything wrong with their reviews "so far".

Edited October 31, 2011 by Djawed

[Xenos]

I think a lot of us already knew that they will complain about Sonic's friends being in the game anyway. If Sonic's friends aren't in this game, I bet they'll still get bashed and reviewers will find something else to complain about.

Yeah pretty much knew that too, that's why I called it before.

But still, are his friends this time around really worth complaining about this time around? They barely get a few words in, most of the time their new Voices avoid being bad at all, even if the cheese factor was still in play. There extra missions are actually unique to them and actually pretty fun in their own right.

I think it's really childish and all kinds retarded when they get bashed for just being there. :V

Edited October 31, 2011 by Xenos The Creeper