PixlBit

Sonic Generations starts great. When I started playing the game, three acts in, I was on the phone with Nick. “Hey, this game might be better than the console version,” I said. “I'm not surprised,” his response. All the while, I thought to myself, these stages really capture the feel of the original Genesis Sonic games.

Flashforward through the whole game and some basic review research. Of course these stages capture the feel of the original console versions: The first three classic Sonic stages are the exact same as what's found in the original Genesis versions!

By and large, the best stages are those first few for classic Sonic, which are pulled directly from Sonic's earliest console games. Sonic Generations is almost all downhill from there, and not in that classic momentum-building way.

As a stand-alone title, Generations is an enjoyable but brief adventure through Sonic's history. Each stage is somewhat enjoyable, but many feel a bit inorganic, in a sense. Seven stages/zones are remade or re-envisioned for Sonic's birthday celebration in both classic Sonic (who at first plays like his Genesis self) and modern Sonic (who plays similar to the Sonic in Sonic Rush, but without the button-tapping tricks). Still, without a doubt, the recycled Genesis stages are much better than the new stages for classic Sonic. The original stages in the game feel much more rushed, with elements that don't mix Sonic's momentum-based gameplay with platforming as cohesively. In all but the Sonic Colors tribute, classic Sonic's stages just feel like they lack atmosphere and ingenuity. Modern Sonic's movement through the stages is a bit more fluid, but it's noteworthy that one of his stages is basically a carbon copy out of Sonic Rush. In later stages, both Sonics experience a few areas with those deep and wide bottomless pits that weren't generally well-recieved in Dimps handheld Sonic titles, but they aren't as overly pervasive as they were in Sonic Advance 2 or Sonic Rush.

Like the console version, bosses appear at regular intervals. To reach a boss, Sonics must clear all the stages, then race a Sonic rival through an entirely new stage inspired by one of the immediately prior stages. Racing here is very simple, and is essentially a task to reach point B before the other hedgehog (without the gimmicks of the PSP Sonic titles). Predictably, three of four bosses hail from prior Sonic titles, and they all are enjoyable recreations with new spins.

In addition to the stages, there's an online racing mode pitting player vs. player that works well enough, but added black holes can throw off skilled players with speedier stage plans. A time trial option can keep track of record times on all zones, bosses, and special stages, comparing a player's record time and its placement in worldwide rankings. A third bonus mode, Mission, slowly unlocks a few missions over the course of playing the game. These missions typically take a segment of the stage and assign a very difficult challenge; completing them unlocks music, art, and character models. All three extra modes do extend the life of the game, but the fact is, all the modes provide are a few new twists on Generations' low stage count.

I can't recommend Sonic Generations for the 3DS. Yes, it's an fairly enjoyable game. Yes, in some areas, it plays better than the console version. At the same time, it's much shorter than the console game, and at least four of the 14 main stages are nearly straight copies of stages in other games. Three of those four provide the most enjoyable experiences, but feel incomplete and very short without their original “Act 2.” Mission mode is a nice distraction, but a weird, sporadic unlock system for new missions will irritate players who don't want to spend 5 3DS coins to unlock a single mission. I have to suggest Sonic fans and those new to the series should skip this, and instead look for Sonic's earlier titles. This one is just too short, too rushed to the market, and too much of a rehash to be all that worth playing against Sonic's prior titles.