Current song: Flaming Lips - Bad Days
I never do seem to commit to blogging. I swear I've started two or three in the past, and never continued them past a couple of posts.
Never sure why - might be down to the low viewing figures, or down to the fact I never seem to get time to carry on. Let's see how I do this time.
So, who am I? Chances are, you guys visiting already know me, but for those of you joining, I'm a Misanthropic Cornish Geek Extraordinaire working as an IT Technician. I'm a fan of films, (some) music, anime, and (some) TV - also an avid gamer. I suppose the only thing separating me from the "nerd" side of things is not being able to program my way out of a paper bag. Ho hum.
My first post sees me naffed off somewhat with work, for a few reasons (lack of communication and the envisioned ability of being able to pull something from nothing at the last second definitely among them), but never mind. My first proper contribution for this particular blog? A quick game review.
Current song: Seidenmatt - Applaus
Sonic Generations (360)
Having been a Sonic fan for most of my life - we're talking since the original Sonic hit the Mega Drive - I've been consistently disappointed in the last decade. Mediocre (or downright awful) game after mediocre game assaulted us old school fans, before finally Sonic joined Mario in Karting, Olympics, Tennis and god knows what else.
Even the Sonic Adventure games were pretty bad, although they've been more critically acclaimed than, say, Sonic '06 (quite possibly the worst Sonic game of all).
Sonic Unleashed was a step in the right direction, followed by a quick step backwards - the Sonic levels were fast paced, handled well, and looked great. Unfortunately too much of the game was spent with Sonic the Werehog - slow, dull, and monotonous! I've never been a huge fan of the massively expanded cast either, probably again from having grown up in the days of Tails, Robotnik (NOT Eggman) and Knuckles. The voice acting's always been pretty painful to listen to as well.
So, this brings us onto Sonic's 20th Anniversary, and the long awaited "Sonic Generations", and Wow, has it been worth the wait!
After playing through an updated version of Green Hill Act 1 as Classic Sonic, I was hooked. Flash forward to Modern Sonic through Act 2, and we're brought to the opening of the story - all Sonic's friends are kidnapped by some strange monster, which seems to have the ability to break through time and dimensions. As always, it's Sonic's job to fix the problem, although this time he has help from the original Sonic too.
There are three zones from each era of Sonic - the Mega Drive, the Dreamcast/Game Cube, and the Wii/360/DS - each containing two acts.
Act 1 will see you playing as Classic Sonic, who's main move is the Spin Dash, in a mostly 2D view. Act 2 sees you playing as Modern Sonic, which means the Lightspeed Dash, the Homing Attack, Grinding and a few other bits, in a mostly 3D view. Both views are handled well - the Sonic's play slightly differently, but the controls feel fluid and responsive.
They'll all guaranteed to bring back memories for fans, with (for example) the opening zones being Green Hill, Chemical Plant and Sky Sanctuary. At the end of each Zone, you'll recover one of Sonic's friends, and after taking on a Challenge you'll gain a key to unlock the Boss of the era (no spoilers here!). By beating each of the Bosses (interspersed with fights with Rivals such as Metal Sonic) you'll get an emerald - get all 7 to face the final boss and restore the world to its proper state.
The game itself has definitely been worth the wait, and is without doubt the finest Sonic game of a decade or more. Blasting through your favourite zones, listening to the remixed versions of each track is great fun, and makes me nostalgic for the old days.
It's not perfect though - some of Classic Sonic's physics can be off at times, making the occasional Spin Dash awkward. The Rival Fights are mostly trial and error, and a little too short, but can be entertaining enough. Some of the Challenges can be a pain as well, some are repetitive, while some camera angles dog others, making it difficult to pass them. Fortunately though, there's a lot of choice - whether you want to race a doppleganger, take on a unique challenge from a friend, or fight through the level while avoiding giant Badniks, there's a lot on offer.
There are abilities you can unlock and equip as well - including stopping on a sixpence, shields, recovering faster from being knocked down, and rings hanging around longer if you've been hit.
The final boss WILL make you want to tear your hair out. I won't say too much more, but a certain phrase (bound to become an Internet meme) comes up A LOT.
But overall, these are minor issues. The worst part of the game is it's too short. You can blast through the main storyline in, perhaps 4 or 5 hours. The challenges will take you that again, especially for the more frustrating ones. Once you're done there, you can shoot for an S ranking in each act and work on finding all the red rings in a level - this'll unlock more abilities, artwork and music etc. It'll keep you going for a while, but I wish there more levels, I'd love to see Lava Reef, Mystic Cave and Death Egg given this brilliant treatment.
I wouldn't hold your breath for a sequel - Sega have already said it'll be a one off. Hopefully they'll change their minds!
So, for the TL;DR version:
Finally, a worthy Sonic game. Definitely highly rated, and something to show that Sonic's still capable of greatness. 8/10.
So long for now!
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