Last month I was privileged enough to get my hands on the Green Hill Zone remake in Sonic Generations, both in Classic mode and Modern mode. Everything I had been hoping to see in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, but was ultimately not provided in that abysmal title, was now in my hands with Sonic Generations. The sense of wonder and enjoyment that I have long been missing from Sonic games is set to return in an overwhelmingly beautiful way, from the extra peek we got at E3. Thankfully, in that few weeks gap between the press event and E3, SEGA didn’t ruin my life by turning Sonic Generations into Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. Sonic Generations remained the same refreshing blast of Sonic fun that it was when I first touched it.
Producer Takashi Iizuka, who has presided over both good and awful Sonic games, was kind enough to run us through City Escape, a level from Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast making a new appearance in Sonic Generations. If you remember the original level, the end boss was a giant truck. In this reimagination of City Escape, the truck makes appearances throughout the level, becoming something you have to constantly try to escape. At times, it will pop up and destroy parts of the level, making sure you’re quick on your feet. It’s a great example of how the classic experiences are given new life in Sonic Generations.
He reiterated that the game will please both classic 2D Sonic fans and the 3D Sonic fans alike. In that effort, I believe that they succeeded. Sonic Generations truly feels like the celebration of the franchise they set out to make. The development team behind Generations made sure to get creative input regarding what levels fans would want to see, but no details were given. Luckily, today’s Sonic Generations demo release has resulted in an outpouring of knowledge. According to Destructoid, via the Sonic Retro forums, included levels will be:
- Green Hill Zone
- Chemical Plant Zone
- Sky Sanctuary Zone
- Speed Highway
- City Escape
- Seaside Hill
- Crisis City
- Rooftop Run
- Planet Wisp
Boss fights will include:
- Metal Sonic
- Shadow
- Silver
- “Death Egg”
- Perfect Chaos
- Egg Dragoon
- Boss LastBoss(TimeEater) – The final game file does not provide more detail into the name of the last boss. Being a Sonic throwback game, one would hope it’s Robotnik in one form or another.
This game can not come soon enough for me. The end of the year feels like a lifetime away.
