Honestly, alone, this game is a bit short and disappointing. Paired up with the 3DS version by the same name... you kinda wish all the resources were pooled together for one game rather than SEGA trying to get more money out of you with two. However, moving past the massive expectations that were built up leading to the release of this game, what we got was pretty damn good.
Still not a perfect replica of Genesis style gameplay, the Classic Sonic levels were as close as we'd gotten up to that point. (closer than Sonic 4 and Sonic Rush... An argument could be made that Sonic Advance was closer in some ways...) The Classic levels were also loads of fun, every single stage feeling fresh in this format, including Green Hill Zone, somehow. I want to make an...observation, though... Casino Night Zone (act 1) on 3DS was IDENTICAL to the original level (in every conceivable way allowing for the jump to 3D graphics) I observed that having played both on the same system this year... on the one hand it's neat, on the other hand it feels lazy considering all the other levels at least appear to be totally new takes on those classic environments.
This is actually the easiest variant of the Unleashed play style in the Modern Sonic stages. I can regularly A or S rank every level in the console version. The DS modern stages, on the other hand, feel like the Sonic Rush 3DS game we didn't get. I wish we'd gotten that... instead of Boom... but oh, well. These levels may be easy, but I don't think difficulty is the point. Sonic Generations is sort of a ride...kind of in every sense of the word. The cast of characters even act as moderators for the rides in a weird way, standing by the entrance, strapping you in and letting you run off on your boosting, homing attack-filled journey. (I usually think of the characters more like animatronic dummies, since they just stand there and don't partake in the plot...but I'm cynical when it comes to Sonic storylines. Comes from outdoing SEGA in that department for around a decade)
Both versions of the game also offer a selection of missions to play based on the main levels, with the 3DS version having a cool 100 of these missions, many of which unlock bonus content, but there isn't much incentive to replay these missions. The console version's missions are a bit better, featuring more variety and even having 2 missions for each of the supporting cast, some where they help you and some where they compete against you. Playing music-note volleyball against Vector...is a low point... But having Charmy create platforms under you to navigate Planet Wisp is pretty neat.
Both versions feature a plethora of music from throughout the series, and the console version lets you select any of these tracks to play on any level, mission or boss fight, which is cool. Speaking of bosses, this game is pretty awesome just based on the boss selection. Ignore the Shadow fight...that was fairly dumb... but those rematches with Perfect Chaos and the Egg Dragoon are real standout moments for the series... IF ONLY the game had a plot...
The plot is this game's biggest weakness. I featured its entire plot in my fanfic adaptation, and still had plenty of room to jam that story full of other shenanigans. Of course, stories tend to be larger affairs than (platforming) games in general... but SEGA could've done so much better here. If they'd just...NOT made the 3DS version (which I love, don't get me wrong), they could've had extra cutscenes to actually lead into each boss, including the minor Rival battles. Instead, these battles just kind of happen with practically no context. I also would've loved a bit more references... Hiding those character figurines behind secret codes was kind of dumb, for one. They would have been cool unlockables that would've made the game feel more rewarding to play.
Ultimately, though, I love this game very much, and will likely use it as the climax of my playthroughs of the whole series for years to come. I loved it so much I spent a year doing my story adaptation of it. I re-read that recently (a rare event for me, re-reading one of my stories). It's awesome, GeneX Generations...though I could see where it had flaws early on. Should've done something other than Chemical Plant in chapter 2, and focused less on Shadow in the Dreamcast era. Still, it ended really strong, and was utterly overflowing with references & character cameos. Give it a read if you missed it; it has its own folder/pool on my account here (depending if this is FA/IB) Take your time, though... took me about 50 minutes per chapter...give or take... I was really into it lmao
I could talk more about this game (such as critiquing the level choices SEGA made), but this is running long already. I'm playing Pokemon now, so you guys won't be hearing much from me. Maybe I'll still pop in to do (hopefully short) blogs, idk...
Okay! No more reviews! In fact, nobody tell me about Sonic in Lego Dimensions! I don't have Lego Dimensions yet! Just...trying...to distract myself... Must...avoid...spoilers...
If the 25 NPCs in the Lego Sonic world are all taken up by Zeti, Flickies, and Sonic Boom minor characters, I'm gonna scream >_<
