Nintendo Okie

After the demise of SEGA as a console manufacturer, the Sonic series needed to find another home where it could flourish, a search which ultimately led to Nintendo’s door. While the console series struggled, the handheld series continued onwards, with the Sonic Advance series building upon the classic 2D Mega Drive roots, eventually morphing into the impressive Sonic Rush series on DS. With Sonic Generations absent on the Wii, SEGA’s 20^th Anniversary celebration moved onto the 3DS, and based on past experience it should highlight how strong the series has been on handhelds all these years. Only it doesn’t.

It really is hard to pinpoint exactly where Sonic Generations goes awry on 3DS, as on the face of it the game is set-up to be an instant hit. With Dimps helming yet another handheld Sonic game, and with the Generations blueprint of Classic and Modern Sonic in hand-picked stages from the last 20 years still in place, the ingredients are all there for a celebration of all things Sonic. From a gameplay perspective it is the same formula that has propelled the console version to great reviews, yet for every reason that the game should be good, it falters, and ends up being a game that feels like a missed opportunity.

What You Need To Know
Sonic Generations 3DS is a portable tour through 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog history, combining console and handheld levels and introducing the Classic/Modern Sonic dynamic seen in the HD version. Classic Sonic remains the same, while Modern Sonic plays similarly to the Rush series, with a focus on 2D speed.

An identity crisis
The biggest issue with Sonic Generations 3DS is in the player expectation, and what you would expect from a title that in development was discussed as a celebration of the handheld aspect of the series. Out of the 8 playable stages, only one of these is directly from a handheld game, with the Sonic Colours stage arguably also a handheld design, while the rest are from the series’ console entries, with some baffling choices; the inclusion of Sonic Adventure 2’s Racial Highway, a stage that Sonic never set foot on, in particular seems a strange choice. Despite the stage changes, the plot shadows the HD version’s plot, with the only notable change being the removal of Sonic’s friends. Instead it’s just 2 Sonics and 2 Tails against Time Eater and once again, very little explanation of what is happening.

But it must be stressed that Generations 3DS is not an entirely bad game, it is just a game that suffers from an identity crisis. Modern Sonic has been designed to play akin to the 2.5D Sonic Rush series, with a boost gauge filling up as rings are collected and armed with the homing attack, only this isn’t exactly how the Rush series worked. While it is true that the boost gauge is a component of Rush, the homing attack isn’t, and the unique features of Rush were the ability to perform tricks in mid-air to build the gauge up and running across two screens, both of which are absent in this game. This instead feels like a 2D version of console Modern Sonic, and you have to wonder that given the strength of the 3DS graphically, and that the system comfortably generates 3D Special Stages, whether creating a true 3D Sonic on the 3DS was in fact possible.

Classic Sonic plays brilliantly in Mega Drive Era, but then learns a new move
Classic 2D Sonic works much better however, and the early stages of the game are a testament to the classic design’s strength. Spin-dashing can only be achieved by charging it up on level ground, and rolling downhill now increases momentum significantly, something that was oddly missing in the HD version. The Classic Sonic stages capture the original mantra of Generations perfectly – it is a call-back to old times and a chance to relive what made you fall in love with the hedgehog in the first place. The problem comes in after the Mega Drive Era ends, and for reasons that only SEGA know, Modern Sonic decides to teach Classic Sonic the homing attack. And from then on, the game descends into complete chaos.

One of the unique things about Generations is that it offers you the chance to play as the Sonic you remember from the past in new levels, and then appreciate the changes made for Modern Sonic by experiencing old levels in new ways. Classic Sonic however does not know the homing attack, and once he learns it (something he cannot un-learn), both Sonics feels almost exactly the same, with the only differentiating factor being Modern Sonic’s boost gauge. For a game that promises to celebrate 20 years of Sonic by offering Classic and Modern Sonic modes, giving Classic Sonic a homing attack is a deal-breaker; it just defies the point of the game.

It doesn’t help that the stage quality varies wildly throughout the game either, bringing up the question of why the console stages made it into the game again. The Mega Drive stages are great in both Classic and Modern Sonic, with classics such as Green Hill Zone and the iconic Casino Night Zone getting a graphical polish and a Modern Sonic make-over. The levels flow extremely well for both Sonics, with Modern Sonic’s version referencing the original but having its own take on it, while Classic Sonic takes a shortcut and receives carbon copies of the original stages, a move that feels very lazy.

Homing attacks and the Dreamcast Era
Once you hit the Dreamcast Era though, which coincides with Classic Sonic learning the homing attack, it all goes awry. What you essentially get are two 2D imaginings of a 3D stage, leading to bland, empty areas with very little to do. Radical Highway in particular is troubled, with numerous bottomless pits and large areas with nothing to do but run appearing all too often. It’s a relief to get past the Dreamcast Era and move into the Modern Era, where, just like console Sonic games, everything starts to come together again. Water Palace and Tropical Resort both reference the source material but take their own route, and while the two acts feel awfully similar thanks to the homing attack, they manage to be fun, something the Dreamcast Era fails to achieve.

There are also 3 main boss battles and 3 rival battles to contend with between the Eras along with reasonably fun ‘race after the Chaos Emerald’ Special Stages for each stage, and while the boss battles are on the whole great representations of the original material, the rival battles feel pointless and trivial. Rather than getting their own stages or designs, the battles against Metal Sonic, Shadow and Silver take place on existing stages, where you simply race them to the end. Silver was never present on Tropical Resort, so why is it that I have to race him there? Add in teleporting opponents, meaning that only the home stretch really determines the race winner, and you have an ill-conceived area of the game.

Short in length, but plenty to do post-game
When all this is done, the game clocks in at a disappointing couple of hours, but thankfully SEGA decided to spend some time adding more features in to keep you coming back. The missions from the HD version make the move over, and with 100 to select from there is plenty to keep you busy here. Unfortunately to play them all you either need to spend an absurd number of play coins or StreetPass with fellow Generations players, both of which are likely to bring your progress to a grinding halt. I’m a firm believer in utilising the features of a system, but to actually withhold content like this is annoying and will ultimately lead to numerous unfinished challenges. Where you will instead spend most of your time post-game is in the online versus mode, which offers a simple point-to-point race against a randomly chosen opponent, something that is surprisingly addictive.

The game does however look sharp graphically, despite laziness on the backgrounds, with the Sonic’s in particular acting almost identically to their HD counterparts. The 3D effect is, as ever, present but not necessary, although Sonic hopping to the foreground or background is a nice effect to see in motion. The problem is though that some of the stages feel like they have been built around this, and rather than the traditional Sonic style of the high path being the quickest, levels are often very flat and linear, with 3 paths in different planes. It creates a nice 3D effect but it doesn’t feel like Sonic and promotes a ‘boost to win’ mentality.

Great soundtrack
Much like its HD brother, Generations shines when it comes to the music department, with great remixes of the original track for each stage for both Classic and Modern Sonic, although the lack of drowning music underwater is simply unforgivable. There is also a large selection of tracks to unlock, but unlike the HD version these cannot be used in stages, making them another collectible that you probably won’t bother with after a cursory glance through. The other collectibles are less in number than the HD version but still worth a look, with a few notable pieces of artworks and figurines available to collect.

Conclusion
Sonic Generations 3DS really is a missed opportunity and the first real stumble for the hedgehog on a Nintendo handheld system. It tries to mimic the HD version while attempting to remain true to its handheld roots, leading to a game that has a huge identity crisis midway through, and attempts to solve it by giving Classic Sonic a homing attack. The game is still playable if you can look past the flaws, but the lasting memory you will have of this game is that it should and could have been better. The handheld source material was just waiting to be used, and by simply replacing the Dreamcast Era with an Advance Era, there was potential for a great game to be created. As it is, this is a game that can only be enjoyed in parts, and for anyone who has played a handheld Sonic game, that is a great shame.

Review copy of the game provided by SEGA
Main story completed 100% and post-game modes sampled ~5 hours