At the core, Sonic is about speed. Super sonic speed. While recent Sonic games have foundered,  Sonic Generations takes the game series back to its roots, focusing on acceleration and discarding the superfluous experiments of previous titles. But can too much nostalgia be a bad thing? The idea behind Sonic Generations is to take the best levels from all of the previous Sonic titles and have them play out in two different ways: retro 2D style and a modernized 3D version. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? And it is! All of the levels are remarkably fun, from the classic Green Hill Zone to Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes. The younger Sonic has the spin attack and spin dash from the classic Genesis titles, whereas the older has the homing attacks and boost meter from recent outings. Racing through the levels is a blast, and there are plenty of amazing moments. From sliding down the clock tower in Rooftop Run and blowing up the air balloon in 2D mode, to climbing the tower in Planet Wisp, the game is breathtaking, even with motion blur. The developers have gotten the controls and physics down, Sonic handling extremely well. On top of that, the music is super catchy. I was humming the tunes long after the game was over.

There are nine unique stages in total in Sonic Generations, each played in two different modes. Additionally, there are mandatory challenges that need to be fulfilled for the game to be completed (one required per level, though more can be unlocked for extra rewards like concept art and music tracks). The challenges vary from collecting Sonic's animal friends to working with other team members to complete the stage in a set time limit. For the most part, they're fun, though some can get repetitive, as failure means you have to start the whole process over. 

A skill shop lets players upgrade Sonic's abilities as well as customize attributes. You can even buy the original Sonic game here. They've done away with the clunky, overbearing Adventure fields from the Sonic Adventures games and simplified it into a hub where the levels are much easier to access. There are four main bosses, and the fights are creative and grand, from the Death Egg Robot to Perfect Chaos. The three rival bosses, Shadow, Metal, and Silver Sonic, must be defeated to collect the chaos gems. I found the fight against Silver Sonic to be the best of the fights, racing through Crisis City and utilizing Sonic's repertoire to the limits. Again, the music rocks and is the perfect accompaniment to the frenzied battles that use the entire world as a playground.

I personally enjoyed the 3D modernized levels more than the classic ones for a variety of reasons. While the classic levels were a lot of fun, especially the ones flattening the originally 3D worlds, a problem I found distracting was that Sonic is proportionally too small on the screen. Look at the old Sonic games. He takes up a lot more of the screen. In this current HD version, it's very hard to see classic Sonic, especially as the camera zooms in and out. When he taps his foot annoyingly if the player is inactive, or when he tries to keep his balance on the edge of a cliff, he's barely visible. In fact, one of the biggest problems in Sonic Generations was that the classic Sonic lost a lot of his charm. Even in the original Genesis games, Sonic had attitude, intentionally to contrast with the cookie-cutter image of Mario. More often than not, I felt I was merely watching the game as Sonic raced from end side of the world to another, occasionally throwing in a few jumps and spin dashes to help him loop around crazy twists. I know that's essentially what Sonic is about, but I would have at least liked to have seen Sonic up close. In 3D mode, Sonic looks great and you get a fair sense of his character.

Throughout the game, the environments teem with life and are visually impressive. The enemies, however, are the usual mishmash of mechanical foes that aren't very memorable. I can't remember many of them, though again, Sonic Generations' bosses were a bombastic bunch. I would have loved to have seen more artistic flair between the stages in the two separate modes. As classic Sonic is just the 3D Sonic with a fixed camera, I never felt a huge leap from one of the other. This is even more emphasized when 3D Sonic goes into 2D mode and there's no discernible difference between the two visual styles.

I was also expecting more variety in the gameplay; at least, it could have used a little more mixing and matching between the two generations. What do I mean? Despite the fact that the gameplay is incorporating the two Sonics, there is never a sequence where the style of one and the other complement each other to get through the levels. Instead, a strict partition exists between classic and modern Sonic that is never lifted until the final boss, Time Eater; that's the only time we get to play the two styles together. There could have been some real clever uses of the 2D and 3D style to complement the gameplay (take the Paper Mario series, for example), but the game is over after the first time the two are on the screen together. 

Speaking of which, the Time Eater boss sequence was probably one of the most frustrating and confusing boss fights I've ever dealt with in a game. I didn't know what to do and only figured it out by accident. The best bosses are usually the ultimate test for a set of skills learned in the previous levels. This sequence was unconnected with the rest of the game, and I found the experience jarring. After completing the game, I looked up the Time Eater sequence online and saw my frustrations echoed by many other players. 

Which brings me back to my original question. Can too much nostalgia be a bad thing? Every one of the levels is drawn from a past Sonic game, without any original stages (apart from the final one). You are essentially playing the same games, just rehashed with new paths. On top of that, the game is very short, clocking maybe 4-5 hours for a straight playthrough. Now, I had a blast because I love Sonic, and this is a best-of mix that reminded me of what I enjoyed most about the series. The story is also pretty funny and tongue-in-cheek, especially the reveal of who the "ominous" nemesis is this time around. But for non-Sonic fans, as the game is banking entirely on retro nostalgia, a recommendation is harder, especially for those who haven't experienced the previous titles in the series. 

Sonic Generations is hands-down the best Sonic game in a long time mainly because it takes the best of all the Sonic games and incorporates them into one package. If they could duplicate that with a new (or even partially new) experience, then I would have had a much easier time recommending the title to new players. As it is, it's a pleasant sprint down memory lane, albeit one with a new coat of paint. For some, that's enough. For this reviewer, nostalgia isn't enough in a year filled with stellar titles that meld retro and innovation much better -  though Sonic: Generations cuts it pretty close.

GameDynamo's Score for Sonic Generations (PS3)

	Score	Description
Graphics	75	Great environments and bosses, though everything could have been more distinctive.
Sound	95	Awesome. The soundtrack will please the fans.
Gameplay	75	If you've played any of the old Sonic games, you know what you're in for, as they levels are entirely recycled from them.
Play Value	70	It's a very short game, even with the additional challenges, but every moment is exhilarating.
Final Score	78	A great game for Sonic fans and the best Sonic in a long, long time. It just needed brand new levels.

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