It seems like that due to Sonic Colors, Sega's finally taken 3D Sonic games to the right direction. It's further proven with the release of Sonic Generations, a game that takes nearly all of Sonic's history and compacts it into one game, with new levels in those familiar environments! Naturally, we Sonic fans were all hyped. And what's even better is that the final product was no letdown.

Sonic Generations starts you off in the classic Green Hill Zone, re-imagined with entirely new level design, semi-remixed versions of the catchy level music, and brilliant graphical details! Once you start playing, it feels just like the Genesis Sonic games all over again, with the addition of X letting you automatically Spin-Dash (Although the original "Down+A" combination is still there), and...B to crouch ("Down" still present too).

In case you didn't get enough of the game's from-the-start brilliance, there's also the Dreamcast-era Modern Sonic, who, like in Sonic Colors, is complete with Boosting, Homing Attack, etc. He gets his own versions of the background music as well. Since Sega's finally doing it right for 3D Sonic games, playing as Modern Sonic is just fun as it is playing as his old pot-bellied counterpart.

Remember when there were scenes like that giant truck chasing Sonic down a road in Sonic Adventure 2? Sonic racing Metal Sonic? Shadow? How about that time when he ventured through the Sky Sanctuary, and nearly drowned in the pink water from Chemical Plant Zone? You get to relive all of that in this game, and these events fit perfectly with the game's new level layouts (The giant truck can destroy some construction sites, changing those bits of level design for Classic Sonic!).

Of all that Sonic had gone through, though, there are only 9 Zones in Generations, representing games like Sonics 1, 2, 3, Adventure, Adventure 2, Next-Gen (The 2006 game, but thankfully, its Zone, Crisis City is actually a lot of fun here), Unleashed, and, of course, the recent Sonic Colors. You would probably think that the game is as short/long as the Genesis games, and while you could say that, there are lots and lots of challenges and achievements you can do and get, making the replay value grow largely.

Even if you did beat the game by completing its minimal requirements, you can't hide the fact that you have enjoyed the thrill ride throughout, from beginning to end. Happy Birthday, Sonic....

UPDATE (7/4/2012): As I was looking at this recently on Amazon, I realized the prices have dipped for both new and used copies of the game! Now that you can find it for under $20, there's absolutely NO excuse to skip this game!