Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations[b] is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game follows Sonic and his sidekick Tails as they form an alliance with their modern selves. It features two gameplay styles: "Classic", which plays from a side-scrolling perspective like that of the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, and "Modern", 3D levels similar to those in Sonic Unleashed (2008) and Sonic Colors (2010).
Sonic Generations
Hiroshi Miyamoto
- Yoshinobu Uba
- Daisuke Shimizu
- Utako Yoshino
Outa Sano
Sachiko Kawamura
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PlayStation 3, Xbox 360WindowsNintendo 3DSSonic X Shadow Generations
PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows- WW: October 25, 2024
Development of Sonic Generations began following the completion of Unleashed. Sonic Team sought to re-imagine the most popular aspects of the franchise in high-definition, and developed the game using the Hedgehog Engine. Each location and many bosses in the game are previously seen in an earlier entry in the series, with the game including numerous other references to past entries. Devil's Details and Dimps helped create the Windows and 3DS versions, respectively. The Windows version is noted for its active modding scene, where a dedicated community creates new gameplay mechanics, levels, and assets for the game.
The game received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, selling 1.85 million copies by May 2012. Reviewers found its visuals, audio, and gameplay to be highlights, and called it a good tribute to the franchise. It also received some criticism, mostly for its occasional frame rate and control problems. Reception to the 3DS version was mixed; reviewers criticized its short length and design, and deemed it worse than Dimps' previous Sonic games. The Classic iteration of Sonic introduced in the game has continued to make appearances throughout the franchise.
A remaster, Sonic X Shadow Generations,[c] is set to be released on October 25, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows. It is bundled with the Shadow the Hedgehog-centric side game Shadow Generations, which takes place alongside Generations.
Plot[edit]
After his previous defeat,[f] Doctor Eggman is left stranded in outer space with his robot henchmen Orbot and Cubot. A mysterious time-traveling entity known as the Time Eater appears; Eggman, realizing its potential, uses it to go back in time and team up with his past ("Classic") self. The two convert it to a robot to erase their past defeats from history. The Time Eater proceeds to attack ("Classic") Sonic as he travels through Green Hill at the beginning of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, and interrupts a birthday celebration being held for the present ("Modern") Sonic by his friends, scattering them all through different time portals. Modern Sonic awakens in White Space and rescues Tails after traveling through Green Hill.
Modern Sonic and Tails eventually meet their Classic counterparts, and form an alliance to restore their world. The two travel through locations from their past they find in White Space, restoring them to normal. They rescue many of their friends, including Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Cream, Blaze, and the Chaotix, while battling old enemies for the Chaos Emeralds. Both Sonics eventually confront the two doctors, who overpower them using the Time Eater. However, the two Sonics use the Chaos Emeralds to transform into their super forms and defeat the Time Eater, restoring the timeline to normal. Everyone resumes celebrating Modern Sonic's birthday while Classic Sonic and Tails bid farewell and return to their time. Meanwhile, both Classic and Modern Eggman are left trapped in White Space.
Legacy[edit]
In 2017, GamesRadar named Sonic Generations the seventh best game of the Sonic series,[73] and USgamer named it the tenth best.[74] Following the reemergence of "Classic" Sonic, Sega would later begin to include him in other modern Sonic games, such as Sonic Dash (2013)[75] and Sonic Runners (2015).[76] The 2017 game Sonic Forces follows a similar premise to Generations, featuring both Classic and Modern iterations of Sonic as playable characters,[77] and also uses an updated version of Generations' game engine.[78] Some journalists initially believed Forces was a sequel to Generations,[79] but Iizuka later clarified that it was a separate game.[80]
Years after its release, the game has remained as a strong seller for Sega.[81] On April 10, 2018, the Xbox 360 version was made backward compatible with the Xbox One, and was later extended to the Xbox Series X/S (Making the Casino Night Zone Pinball minigame downloadable for free on Xbox 360 in addition to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S).[82] An update to the Xbox 360 version in November 2021 added support for 4K visuals and an increased frame rate when played on Series X/S.[83]
During one of PlayStation's State of Play livestreams on January 31, 2024, Sega announced a remaster, Sonic X Shadow Generations. It is bundled with Shadow Generations, a Shadow the Hedgehog-centric side game whose story takes place alongside that of Generations.[84] The remaster features additional content, such as Chao rescue missions and the addition of the Drop Dash ability seen in Sonic Mania.[85] [86]It is scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on October 25, 2024. Players who preorder the game receive a skin based on Sonic's model from Sonic Adventure.[87]