First Impressions: Sonic Generations

It's been about 24 hours since the first gameplay trailer for Sonic Generations debuted and I've taken some time to process and carefully consider what exactly it is Sega is offering the fans for this historic 20-year Anniversary.  While it may not be the brand new experience I was initially hoping for, what we could potentially be getting is one of the best "Thank You" presents any company in the industry has ever offered their fans.

From the trailer, two things are made perfectly clear:  1) That Generations will be a spiced-up repackaging of some of Sonic's most popular stages of all time and 2) That gamers will be given the freedom to decide how they want to enjoy the game.

For those who've been bitten by the nostalgia bug, there is the choice to play as Classic Sonic.  This means speeding through levels from a 2-D perspective as the camera pans and zooms to highlight the most cinematic moments.  These 2-D levels will be a collection franchise-favorite stages, such as the immortal Green Hill Zone, and will be given an entirely fresh coat of 3-D paint complete with lively backgrounds.  Watching Classic Sonic jump and Spin Dash his way through old-school baddies such as Crabmeat is certainly a sight for sore eyes.  While the different Zones won't be pixel-for-pixel recreations of the originals, they will certainly pay their respects to the most iconic moments of the Hedgehog's history.  What I'm most excited for is to see some 3-D stages recreated as 2-D levels for Classic Sonic.  Imagine the original Sonic Adventure's Windy Valley made to be a side-scrolling stage.  The possibilities are certainly intriguing.  What's also impressive is that the physics of the original game, which were lost in the recent Sonic 4, seem to be fully intact.  From the sense of momentum all the way down to the Genesis's trademark "Leg-pumping running animation even while in mid-air," fans of the original games are sure to be delighted.

So... is that a really short totem pole or some really tall dandelions?

 Of course, players will also have the option of playing as Modern Sonic and blast processing (see what I did there?) their way through full 3-D environments that look to play as a mix between Sonic Colors and Sonic Unleashed.  Modern Sonic will come equipped with trademark abilities such as the Homing Attack and that new Power Slide thing he does when running at high speed.  Modern Sonic will also have a charge meter that builds when defeating enemies or pulling of mid-air tricks, which are done by using both thumbsticks after hitting a speed booster, that can be used to shift into turbo.  Running at such high speeds will cause the motion blur next-gen Sonic games have become known for.   

While no other stages aside from Green Hill Zone have been announced as of yet, it's probably safe to assume there will be a nice diversity to the selections.  My only hope is that the music is great enough to belong on a compilation disc of Sonic's greatest adventures.

The wonderfully vivid backdrops are simply stunning.

One concern I have is that Sega is attempting to craft a story in which there is a sensible reason these two generations of Sonic are coming together.  I'm willing to deal with hokeyness, after all the "Blue Dude with a 'Tude" is a humanoid hedgehog capable of breaking the sound barrier on foot, but I really don't want some convoluted, cockamamie scheme to be behind the reason these two universes come together. (see: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.)  According to Sega, the story opens with Sonic "and his friends" traveling through a rift in time caused by a "mysterious power."  Everything sounds tolerable enough except for that "and his friends" bit.  As I mentioned in my editorial, I certainly hope the merry band of furries aren't all along for the ride.  At least it's been confirmed that Sonic is the ONLY playable character; so thank God for small miracles, right?  Either way, Sonic Generations will sonic boom it's way onto store shelves in time for the 2011 Holiday season and will be available for the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.