Come on guys, sing it with me: "Sonic, he's got an attitude. Sonic, he's the fastest thing alive..."

Ahem. What were we talking about? Ah, yes, the review!

Sonic Generations. Just about brought me to tears. If you ever liked a Sonic game, from any era, you will be hard-pressed to dislike this game. Each level is based a zone from past Sonic games. Here, you can play either as "Classic Sonic" (as seen from 1991-1998), rolling through the levels in 2D side-scrolling fashion; or "Modern Sonic" (as seen from 1998 onwards), racing through the stages in 3D. One level from every major Sonic game is remade in Sonic Generations.

The fairly simple plot is concerned with the fact that during Sonic's 20th birthday, some dark creature crashes the party and takes away all of Sonic's friends. As Sonic chases after them, he finds they all have traveled through time. The mysterious being is some "Time Eater", wreaking havoc across history. To stop this threat, Modern Sonic teams up with his younger, "Classic" self.

The resulting game is fantastic. All of the levels and boss battles are beautifully rendered, featuring multiple pathways to the goal. Classic Sonic plays very closely to the way he played in the early 90s, and Modern Sonic plays like he did in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. The result is not only a great variety of level design, but also well-thought-out gameplay physics. And the music, oh, THE MUSIC! Sonic games are known for great soundtracks, and this is no exception. The remixes presented here are beautiful (Rooftop Run, how I love thee!). Classic Sonic features remixes in a early 90s techno style (in many ways mimicking the 16-bit limitations of the SEGA Genesis), while Modern Sonic features more layered, rock-inspired music(no, NOT Shadow The Hedgehog style. More in line with Sonic Unleashed).

Now as a gamer, I think this title is excellent. It is high-quality, fun, and light-hearted. As a Sonic fan, however, this game is nothing short of EPIC (even though the main story can be beaten in under ten hours. Shame)! There are so many homages to Sonic's history spread throughout this game. Not only are past titles referenced, but even (albeit in subtle ways) the classic TV show Sonic The Hedgehog - The Complete Series and the comic book series are hinted at. The story is full of in-jokes known throughout the series and fandom. Plus, as you play, you unlock various bits of music from the past. These music tracks can then be selected to play during ANY LEVEL OF THE GAME! This just adds to the variety presented here.

This game, of course, is not perfect. Maybe 95% so, but like anything, it still leaves room for armchair quarterbacks to leave "helpful suggestions". Here's me being an armchair quarterback (and I don't even like football!).

Every once in a while, while traveling at high speed or transitioning to another portion of the stage, a momentary (read: fraction of a second) freeze of motion is seen. It is not common, but when it happens, it is noticeable.

On some occurences, slight framerate slowdown is apparent. Now, for me, growing up playing Sonic on the SEGA Genesis, where this was fairly common, playing "Sonic in slow-motion" was something I thought was awesome as a little kid, so even this has a tinge of nostalgia for me.

The story, like with Sonic Colors (being that the same writers worked on this title), is still very light-hearted. Nothing ----I repeat----nothing, is wrong with that. It was not terribly executed in Colors, and it was even more enjoyable here. The fact that this game's story ties directly to Sonic Colors just makes me smile with happiness (narrative continuity in a series Sonic title? Amazing!). I'm still holding out for an "epic" storyline like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 featured.

The game, though detailed and fairly expansive, can be completed in under ten hours (story mode). To collect all of the little souvenirs and unlockable skills will take some more time, but all in all, this is a relatively short game. Again, I'm missing that Sonic Adventure series "epicness"!

In the end, I am blown away. Now, I've spent to much time here already----gotta get back to the game!

Happy 20th Birthday, Sonic!

Ryan Robledo
Author of the Aelnathan