Sonic Generations (Game)

Sonic Generations

GAME » on November 1, 2011

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Old school and new school collide in this 20th Anniversary celebration of the Sonic franchise.

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Overview

Welcome back to Green Hill Zone!

Sonic Generations, known in Japan as Sonic Generations: Shiro no Jikuu ("White Space-Time"), is a 2.5D/3D platformer developed by Sonic Team (Company) and published by Sega (Company) for the Xbox 360 (Platform) and PlayStation 3 (Platform) in North America on November 1, 2011, in Europe on November 4, 2011, and in Japan on December 1, 2011. It also received a digital PC (Platform) release, ported by ported by Devil's Details and released in North America on November 4, 2011 and in Europe on November 25, 2011, with no Japanese release.

Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise) franchise, the game features remade levels from mainline Sonic games (three from the "Classic" '90s era, three from the early 2000's "Adventure" era, and three from the late 2000's "Modern" era), with players running through each stage as Sonic the Hedgehog (Character) in two ways: in classic 2D perspective as "Classic Sonic", and in modern 3D perspective as "Modern Sonic".

The game's story, set sometime after the events of Sonic Colors (Game), has Sonic and his friends being sucked into various "time holes" by a mysterious new being, scattering them into different places in history. As Sonic is thrown back to his early days in Green Hill Zone (Location), he encounters a younger, less talkative self (resembling his earlier design) and together, they must rescue their friends while finding out who is the true mastermind behind the mysterious Time Eater.

Along with several unlockables and references to the '90s era of Sega games, Sonic Generations features several bonuses, with the 360 and PS3 versions including a playable version of the the series's first game and the option to play in stereoscopic 3D.

The game also received a separate handheld adaptation, known in Japan as Sonic Generations: Ao no Bouken ("Blue Adventure"), developed by Dimps, and published by Sega (Company) for the Nintendo 3DS (Platform) in North America on November 22, 2011, in Europe on November 25, 2011, and in Japan on December 1, 2011. While the story remains the same, this version features a new selection of levels while switching the gameplay of "Modern Sonic" to 2D platforming similar to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.

The 360/PS3 version later received a remastered release in 2024 as Sonic X Shadow Generations (Game), including a bonus campaign starring Shadow the Hedgehog (Character).

Gameplay

Gameplay is broken up between two versions of Sonic. The 1990's-era-based "Classic Sonic" sees levels from a strictly side-scrolling perspective, with many of the game mechanics being pulled directly from the series' 16-bit heritage. "Modern Sonic" on the other hand borrows more heavily from games like the Sonic Unleashed titles and Sonic Colors Wii, with boost-focused gameplay punctuated by perspective shifts between side-scrolling and behind-the-back 3D. A 2D hub world exists between stages, allowing players to pick between levels by walking up to that stage in the environment and cycling through a menu of available "Acts".

Though "Classic Sonic" and "Modern Sonic" are the only playable characters, after completing the main two acts of a stage, Sonic rescues one of Sonic's many friends, who hang around in the hub world and challenge Sonic to complete optional side missions. Each act has 10 challenges attached to it (5 as "Classic Sonic", 5 as "Modern Sonic"). Beating these will unlock additional music and artwork, as well as restore that particular hub area back to normal by returning color to it.

Console/PC Zones

Each zone includes a main act for both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic. Essentially, Sonic Generations features 9 Classic Sonic stages and 9 Modern Sonic stages, not counting side acts and boss encounters.

Each zone and boss is based on a level or boss from a previous Sonic title. As coinciding with the anniversary theme of Sonic Generations, the player is essentially taken on a tour through 20 years of Sonic's history.

Bonus Content

Casino Night Zone Pinball Table (Pre-Order DLC)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Game) (Full 1991 Game)

3DS Zones

FACT: Orcas hate hedgehogs

The Nintendo 3DS (Platform) version of Sonic Generations has, for the most part, separate levels from the console/PC release. Though the game's producer Takashi Iizuka originally mentioned the 3DS version would pull from Sonic's Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS (Platform) entries, the vast majority of the levels are still largely from Sonic's console outings, save for a single level from Sonic Rush (Game).

Each zone includes a main act for both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic. Essentially, the 3DS Sonic Generations features 7 Classic Sonic stages and 7 Modern Sonic stages, not counting side acts and boss encounters.

"Classic Era" Stages

Sonic The Hedgehog (1991): Green Hill Zone (Location)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2: Casino Night Zone
Sonic andamp;amp;amp; Knuckles: Mushroom Hill Zone
Boss: Big Arms / Launch Base Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
Rival: Metal Sonic (Character) / Casino Night (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)

"Adventure Era" Stages

Sonic Adventure (Game): Emerald Coast (Location)
Sonic Adventure 2 (Game): Radical Highway
Boss: Biolizard / Cannon's Core (Sonic Adventure 2 (Game))
Rival: Shadow the Hedgehog (Character) / Radical Highway (Sonic Adventure 2 (Game))

"Modern Era" Stages

Sonic Rush (Game): Water Palace
Sonic Colors (Game): Tropical Resort
Boss: Egg Emperor / Final Fortress (Sonic Heroes (Game))
Rival: Silver the Hedgehog / Tropical Resort (Location) (Sonic Colors (Game))

Collector's Edition

To celebrate the 20 years of the hedgehog, Sega released a limited collector's edition. These were released in European regions for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and included:

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We really hope you like hedgehogs

Lenticular Sleeve with standard game
A "collectable" figurine which features the current generation Modern Sonic and the Classic Sonic.
A commemorative numbered golden ring
20 Years of Sonic art book
20th Anniversary Soundtrack (Songs picked from Sonic Team)
"History of Sonic: Birth of an Icon" DVD Documentary
Casino Night Mini-Game DLC Voucher
A massive collector's edition box with both hedgehogs featured.

Trivia

Sonic 1 Concept Art

This is one of the few console Sonic games to feature new versions of music originally composed by Dreams Come True bassist Masato Nakamura (Person). It has been a long-standing rumor that Nakamura asks high licensing fees regarding the music he wrote for Sonic the Hedgehog (Game) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game). The only other post-Genesis Sonic console games to feature new recordings of Nakamura's work are Sonic Adventure 2 (Game) and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
Scattered around the "City Escape" stage are billboards and posters referencing a number of easter eggs, including: Wanted posters for Fang the Sniper (Character), Bark the Polar Bear (Character), and Bean the Dynamite (Character) (See: Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic the Fighters (Game)). Missing Persons posters for Mighty the Armadillo (Character) and Ray the Flying Squirrel (Character) (See: SegaSonic the Hedgehog (Game), Knuckles' Chaotix (Game)). Billboards for Charmy Bee (Character) Honey, Chao in Space 2, chili-dog restaurants, and more.
Voice samples from the Sega Saturn "It's Out There" promotional video were used by Cash Cash for their Sonic R (Game) "Super Sonic Racing" remix. These voice clips were removed for the OST release of this song and only exist as part of the in-game music.
Sonic Generations has been in development since Sonic Unleashed (Game) was finished in 2008.
Issue #230 of the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series has a tie in to Sonic Generations.
The Chaos Emerald given to Sonic by Shadow the Hedgehog for defeating him in a rival battle is the 4th Chaos Emerald in the game, a (most likely unintentional) reference to a line in 2005's Shadow the Hedgehog (Game) that has since achieved ironic cult status among fans, where Shadow suddenly shouts "Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?!" during a cutscene. It is also the yellow chaos emerald, the same color as the fake emerald Sonic used to execute Shadow's "Chaos Control" ability in Sonic Adventure 2 (Game).
In a mission where Modern Sonic must compete against Vector the Crocodile (Character) in a rhythm competition, Vector stands on a concert stage with keyboards behind him. Vector was originally slated to be a character in the original 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog game, when the original plot involved Sonic as the lead singer of a rock and roll band. In this now lost concept, Vector played keyboard.
Even though this game revisits "Crisis City" from Sonic The Hedgehog (2006), that entire timeline was completely erased from continuity by the ending to the very game it originated from, technically making its existence impossible.

PC System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 2 GHz or AMD equivalent
RAM: 2GB in XP/7, 3GB in Vista
HDD: 11 GB free disk space
Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9

Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i5 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 3.0 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
HDD: 11 GB free disk space
Graphics: 1 GB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9

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