With Sonic Generations, Sega seems to be finally nailing it

[pixel]

Well, this all seemed fine until the last few seconds:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/sonic ... eneration/

SHADOW IS MY FAV CHARATCER!!

[Specially Cork]

One hot day in Station Square, Knuckles the Echidna was watching TV in his apartment.

His door was propped open, his windows were open, anything he could do to keep cool on this boiling hot day.

It was about 10:00 AM.

Knuckles watched as the news came on.

"I'm Scarlet Garcia, and the top story this morning is on the Mayor. He's running some kind of contest!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Boring," Knuckles said, and he was about to turn it off, when the mayor popped on the screen.

"Thanks, Scarlet," The mayor replied, holding a microphone.

"well, since it's such a hot day outside, I've decided to run a bikini contest here at Emerald Beach. All contestants can enter today any time between 1:00 PM and 3:00. The judging will begin at 4:00. Whoever the judges vote looks the best in their bikini wins a chaos emerald!"

Knuckles' eyes practically popped out of his head.

"WHAT?" He yelled to his TV screen, jumping off his couch.

"That's ridiculous! How come GIRLS can enter and flash a few stupid smiles and they can win a CHAOS emerald? I NEED those emeralds to get back home, and they're ruining it by some stupid contest? Grrrrr!"

Amy Rose had seen the message as well. And she too was jumping up and down. But it wasn't out of anger, it was out of excitement.

Amy took out her cell phone and dialed Cream.

"Hello?"

"CREAM! DID YOU SEE THE NEWS REPORT?"

"..."

"THIS MORNING!"

"..."

"WELL, DID YOU?"

"Um...no..."

"Oh my gosh! Okay, the mayor's hosting a contest today. It's a bikini contest, and whoever wins gets a chaos emerald!"

"Oh wow, that sounds like fun!" Cream said cheerily on the other line.

Amy smiled.

"I know! And this works out just perfect, because I haven't seen Sonic in a while, and if I win this contest, he'll see me in my bikini and he'll think I'm the cutest one out there, and that will make him want to finally go out with me!" Amy said excitedly.

Cream laughed.

"Yeah, Amy, he actually might do that! This sounds like fun to me. I want to enter!"

Amy nodded.

"Totally. Come over to my house and we can go shopping to pick out the right bikini. We don't have a lot of time, though, because contestants can only enter between 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock."

"Okay, I'll be there in five minutes!" Cream promised.

Amy nodded.

"Okay! See you then!"

The two talked a tiny bit more and then hung up.

Amy started laughing, and flopped onto her bed, sighing with contentment.

"This couldn't be more perfect! Sonic will finally want to date me, and everything could just work out! This might be my chance!"

Soon, Amy's doorbell rung.

She went downstairs to answer her door, and sure enough, it was Cream.

"Hey, Cream," Amy said, letting her in.

"Hiya, Amy!" Cream said cheerfully.

"So, do you have a bikini to wear?" Cream asked the hedgehog.

"Oh, I do, but it's way too small," Amy replied, running upstairs and opening her closet doors, Cream following her.

Amy sat on her bed.

"What about you?" She asked Cream.

Cream shook her head.

"Nah, I only have a one-peice from like, 4 years ago."

Amy smiled.

"Good. That means we can both go shopping and get brand new ones!"

So Amy and Cream got into Amy's car and went to the Station Square Mall.

Once they walked in, Amy looked at all the signs hanging up in the air.

Aeropostle

Charlotte Russe

Rue 21 ^

Shoe Fabulous^

American Eagle

Handbag Heaven

"Hmm," Amy said, thinking.

She turned to Cream.

"Which store should we go in first? I mean, I need a new bikini, so that's the most important thing. But what about shoes? Should I get a pair of heels for the contest too? Or maybe a purse..."

Cream shook her head.

"Amy, it's a bikini contest, not America's Next Top Model."

This comment made Amy laugh.

"I know, I know, I'm getting too carried away. I just really hope this contest will make Sonic go out with me!"

Cream smiled.

"Amy, if Sonic likes you, it can't just be for your looks. It has to be for your personality too you know."

Amy nodded her head, smiling at her friend.

"I know, Cream. But seeing me in a bikini WON'T hurt. Now let's go into Charlotte Russe."

That day at the mall it was unbelievably crowded. Amy and Cream came to find out that almost every girl in Station Square was there shopping for what?

Bikinis, of course!

"Wow, a lot of people sure want that Chaos Emerald, huh?" Cream observed. But Amy had already got lost in the sea of girls around the store.

"Amy, wait!"

Cream was looking around the store, peering past all the girls to try and find Amy. Finally Amy zipped up to Cream, holding about ten hangers with tiny little bikinis on them.

"Cream! Look!"

The confused rabbit eyed all the bikinis.

"You want all of those bikinis Amy?"

She asked, confused.

"Well I just have to pick the right one! Here, you go and pick out your favorite. I'll go try these on!"

So while Amy went to the dressing room to try on all her swimwear, Cream browsed through the bikini section.

Amy soon opened the dressing room door with a strapless green bikini on.

Cream saw her and walked over.

"How's this one?" Amy asked, striking a pose.

"Hm...I don't know, that one seems a little big on you. Maybe you want to get a different size?"

Amy shook her head.

"Let me try on a different one."

So the door shut, and Cream heard hangers rattling from inside.

Pink, orange, blue, yellow and practically all the colors of the rainbow colored bikinis were modeled on Amy.

Cream must have counted at least ten bikinis on Amy. The hedgehog just couldn't decide which one she really liked. Finally, Cream was getting tired.

"I know you're tired of this, Cream," Amy said sympathetically.

"Just ONE more, I promise!"

So about 30 seconds later, Amy opened her door and struck a pose.

Amy was wearing a strapless red colored sparkly bikini that seemed to hug her curves in all the right places. Even the other girls shopping in that store put down all their bikinis they were shopping for and stared at Amy Rose with pure, hard jelousy.

"Wow!" Cream said, with a smile on her face.

"Amy, that looks amazing on you! You should get that one!"

Amy looked at herself in the dressing room mirror.

"You really think so?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip and looking herself over in the mirror.

Cream could tell all the other girls in the store were jade green with envy.

"Oh I know so! You could win the contest with that!"

Amy went back in the dressing room and adjusted 'herself'.

Cream laughed.

"Amy what are you doing?" She asked.

Amy turned around to face Cream.

"Does it make my boobs look good?"

Cream made a weird face.

"Amy!" She said.

"Well I just wanna know!" Amy replied.

Cream couldn't stop laughing.

"They look fine, Amy."

"Then it's settled. I'm getting this one."

Cream was relieved that Amy had finally picked one.

"So did you pick a bikini out yet?" Amy asked Cream.

The rabbit smirked.

"Yup!"

She held up a tiny green bikini.

It wasn't strapless, but it still looked good on Cream.

"Wow, Cream, that bikini looks AWESOME on you!"

"Really? Thanks, Amy!"

"No problem! Now, let's get home so we have time to enter the contest!"

Cream and Amy bought their bikinis and went back to Amy's house to put them on and get ready for the contest.

It was 2:15, and they were just about to leave.

Amy had her red bikini on with her signature red headband, red flip flops, and red-rimmed sunglasses.

Cream had her green bikini with green flip flops, a pink flower perched by her left ear, and a green necklace.

"Okay you ready?" Amy asked.

Cream nodded.

"Yep! Let's hurry so we aren't late."

So Amy and Cream went down to Emerald Beach.

"We're gonna be the best ones there!"

Amy assured,

"And Sonic will definatley want to go out with me once he sees what I'm wearing!"

[pixel]

[sic]

You're an excellent writer.

[pixel]

If it matters, looks like Sonic Generations will be released via Steam, as well:

It’s been the best-kept secret* in gaming this year, but we’re delighted to (finally!) confirm that Sonic Generations will be released on PC and available via SEGA’s partners for PC digital download in November this year. Sonic Generations is the ultimate celebration of 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog and sees SEGA’s iconic mascot racing through a brand new adventure as both the much loved classic 1991 character, and the modern day video game hero he has become today.

Sonic Generations for PC digital includes Steamworks features such as Steam Cloud, which allows save files to be stored on Steam’s servers so you can resume your game progress from any PC. As with the other console platforms, Sonic Generations will be available to play in full stereoscopic 3D and will contain Achievements and online leaderboards. The PC version will also support resolutions up to 1080p.

Sonic Generations will be available via PC digital download as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 in November.

I might be closer in purchasing now that'll be available on the PC. I purchased most of the games available during that Sega Weekend a few weeks ago, and they all work well with my Xbox 360 controller.

[Nico0020]

Well god damn. I must say. I am VERY impressed with sky sanctuary remake for 2D levels. Level design looks amazing.

I played the new demo. Not sure how I feel about the 3D stage. 2D stage is alright, the physics are much better than sonic 4. Although jump on springs is still terrible. You can only go in the direction that spring points. So if you jump on one that points up you only go straight up. Even if you hit that spring while running, you dont continue to go forward, you just stop and go straight up.

[youtube]qjDJd6Ay5jw&ob=av3e[/youtube]

[DaMadFiddler]

It's been a long time since I've thought about this... let's see how I do:

Sonic 2 > Sonic 3 & Knuckles > Sonic CD > Sonic 1 > Sonic Advance 2 > Sonic Advance > Sonic 3D Blast > Sonic Heroes > Sonic Adventure 2 > Sonic Adventure > Sonic Rush > Sonic Pocket Adventure > GG Sonic games > Sonic and the Secret of the Rings > Sonic 4 > Shadow the Hedgehog

Not rated (due to never having played them): Sonic Unleashed, Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Colors (though I hear that one's actually decent). Also not bothering to list games that aren't "normal" Sonic games, like Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Rivals, Sonic R, Mario & Sonic at the 8 billionth lazy cash-in game, etc. If I were to count those, then the best thing Sonic has been in in the last ten years is Smash Bros. Brawl.

[Specially Cork]

I liked Sonic Colors - it's well worth picking up, especially as it's probably cheap now. It's probably my favourite of the 3D games once the nostalgia glasses are off for Sonic Adventure. Favourite 2D...probably Sonic 3&K. Playing it again on my PSP at the mo.

[DaMadFiddler]

I liked Sonic Colors - it's well worth picking up, especially as it's probably cheap now. It's probably my favourite of the 3D games once the nostalgia glasses are off for Sonic Adventure. Favourite 2D...probably Sonic 3&K. Playing it again on my PSP at the mo.

I've heard good things about Colors... but by the time it was out, I'd been burned so many times by Sonic games that I didn't bother. The brand has been so damaged by 10+ years of crappy games (the only decent Sonic titles in the 2000s were the first two GBA games), and has already had so many botched "this'll be the one to turn it around!" semi-reboots, that I don't know how they can ever hope to rebuild their credibility. But like I've said, I've heard good things about Colors, and as much as I don't want to admit it, that long-suppressed part of me is begging to get enthusiastic about Generations. Everything *looks* good... but will it turn out to be the next New Super Mario Bros., or the next Sonic 4?

My favorite 2D Sonic game is Sonic 2. I like the art style, the level design, and the music best in that... S3&K always struck me as just a little too focused on trying to be flashy, and I never cared for the pre-rendered sprites as much. That said, they are all great games, which I replay on a periodic basis. I think I actually have four copies of the Genesis Sonic titles right now: the Sonic Mega Collection for GameCube, the Genesis Collection for PS3, the VirtualConsole downloads for Wii, and the actual Genesis cartridges.

Eva was replaying Sonic Adventure 2 (the 'Cube version) earlier this week. It's been a really long time since I've played it, and the main thing I remember is "Sonic levels fun, the rest kind of meh, graphics pretty good." But watching her, I was struck by something: this is a *really* sloppily-constructed game. Animations are lazy and awkward feeling (just watch the characters run, or any of the cinematics, or how the different characters trip all over each other in line delivery), the story is god-awful (though we already knew that), the physics are just a little floaty, the level design feels like it just barely happens to do what the designers wanted it to do, etc. Rose-tinted graphics are definitely off. I always liked SA2 better than SA1, partly because the Sonic levels seemed to flow better / have fewer physics issues, partly because the Adventure Fields were stupid, and partly because you don't have to play as Big the Cat. But this is *not* a good game. Sonic Heroes is actually a lot better, and would probably be fairly decent if (1) the physics (again! and for a series that originally gained its popularity BECAUSE of its physics!) were less goofy, and (2) you didn't have to deal with the stupid story injecting itself at every turn. Definitely better than either of the Sonic Adventure games, though.

[600Ber]

*puts on rose-tinted glasses*

I think that Sonic "died" after Sonic Adventure 2. I never liked the original Sonic Adventure, mainly because of its stupid-uncooperative camera, pointless adventure fields, recycled levels, unskippable cut-scenes, bad collision detection, bad physics, and frustratingly cheap difficulty.

Sonic Heroes was when Sega was starting to get naive. They got Sonic back to his roots, but I saw the hero-coop system as a gimmick right from the start. Plus, playing through the same levels four times with twelve different characters was tedious and boring. If they would have fixed it up and polished it a little more, it could have really been something.

Portable-wise, only liked the first Sonic Advance, and the first Rush game wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. It got pretty dull about midway through.

Oh, Sonic, how I wish you would make a comeback.

[DaMadFiddler]

So, er, anyone getting the game? It's actually been garnering pretty decent reviews, and so far at least, there hasn't been any sign of something being added (i.e. werehog) that completely ruins or disrupts. I've been practically forcing myself to be cynical about this game, after so many disappointments from Sega in the past, but so far all signs look good.

IGN review: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1211001p1.html

Most importantly, since it seems to be the element most often overlooked since Sonic went 3D:

Every single level in Sonic Generations is a multi-path racetrack. You'll blaze past ramps, jumps, hidden emblems and entire new depths before you realize that you could have been soaring through them with a second's more dedication. Then you'll return to right your wrongs, as a quicker and more deliberate blur of cold-calculated genius on the rollercoaster setpieces created for your driven demolition.

Too many people (including Sega themselves) seem to make the mistake that the originals were all about speed, so the result in the new titles is a push-forward rollercoaster that doesn't really leave much room for you to--you know--PLAY the GAME. Really, the old Sonic games weren't so much about SPEED as they were about physics and momentum, and using those two elements to implement complex, multi-pathed levels where it always felt like there were new areas to explore and several alternate paths to take if you could just get the timing a little better or find that hidden detour. It sounds like at least some of this has been brought back.

[Specially Cork]

Got it, beat it in a day.

Cons:
- Controls are improved, but not perfect. Physics are fine but I still find everything too twitchy - especially modern Sonic.
- Modern sonic spends too much time side-scrolling. It's not a bad thing at all (just like Mario Galaxy), but it feels kinda redundant with classic Sonic having his own side-scrolling act.
- Lacks the polish of a Mario game. Camera clipped through stuff a few times, I had to reset a couple of the challenges because the AI glitched out on me, fps drops, and modern Sonic's homing attack loves to miss.
- Too short - going for S ranks in everything will be a lengthy challenge, but 9 2-act stages isn't a lot of meat when you compare it to NSMB (for example)
- I'm not a huge fan of the level selection; 4 city zones and nothing from Sonic 3/Sonic CD/Sonic Advance
- They just couldn't ditch the friends. They all turn up. Unplayable yes, but there throughout.

Pros:
- Great level design. A good mix of running and platforming in every stage, some great jumping parts that don't feel cheap, and very few drop-outs.
- Really Imaginative. Some of the ideas they put into later levels are great. There's some really memorable moments (both gameplay and graphically) that I've never seen in a platformer before. I'm especially fond of Classic Sonic's "City Escape".
- Fantastic music. Every remix is a winner.
- Beautiful. Yeah the FPS falls down sometimes, but every stage is full of eye-candy - they really up the ante later on with every star-gate breaking up the level into unique and separate sections
- Story is very simple. It's basic and to the point, with few cut-scenes. Those that are there are well put together and fun enough to watch
- Absolutely no gimmicks, apart from a little tip of the hat to Sonic Colours
- All the challenges are well thought-out and often involve separate stages, rather than just time-attacking through something you've already done.

Overall, it's my favourite Sonic game since the Mega Drive games. Sometimes it crapped out on me a bit, but it was a few hours of pure end-to-end excitement with no disappointment. Something no Sonic game has managed for me since the 16-bit days. I always preferred Sonic to Mario in my heart and this reaffirms that for me. It's such a blast.

[melancholy]

I started playing the PC version today, which I think might have some optimization problems, because there are some areas where the frame rate absolutely chugs every time you hit those sections. I've only completed 3 levels, but I must say that despite how crappy I thought the summer demo was, they actually fixed up the game a lot since then. The physics finally, finally feel good (not perfect but as close as they've gotten since the Genesis days) and the levels are very open with multiple paths. The 2D Sonic is definitely the winner here, though. This is leaps beyond Sonic 4 and feels very true to the original Genesis games. It's fun, fast, open to exploration, and extremely gorgeous. The 3D Sonic is less polished. The homing attack is too finicky, the movement is imprecise at top speed, and the whole thing ironically feels more on rails than the 2D counterpart. The 3D part is definitely about speed more than anything, though, because it feels the best when you are blazing through the track. The 2D sections are about exploring and perfecting your run.

Overall, it's not just a good Sonic game, it's actually a good game in general.

[Jeeba Jabba]

I'm impressed. I really am. But I'd be lying if I said I give a shit. I don't really want to play something that I played to death 20 years ago.

[Nico0020]

I am waiting for this semester to be over before i go on a massive spending spree on some games I have been wanting. Sonic Generations is my top priority to get. I never thought I would say that about a sonic game ever again.

On a side note, I bought a new computer and with it comes my ability to emulate some wii games. I have been playing sonic colors and I am quite impressed. I dont see myself going through to master every level and find any secrets, but the design they have with 3D sonic stages seems to be as good as it can get. It's such a shame this game was not multiplatform.

I've loaded up the demo of sonic generations a few times already, I can't wait to pick up the game next month. BTW, the gamestop preorder of a special pinball stage of casino night, is it a normal level or just a pinball machine?

[melancholy]

I started playing more tonight, and there's no way you can complete everything in a day. This game has tons of challenges, speed ranks, star rings, and other things to do that go far and beyond just the standard stages. I've put at least 3 hours into the game so far and have only unlocked 3 Acts. Honestly, though, I think I'm going to stop now and save up for the console version or a faster PC, as the 3D Sonic parts of this game has a 20 FPS average, which sucks for a game centered around speed.

[impetus]

I know this thread died months ago, but I thought this was a good Redbox rental. Played through it in a couple days, grabbed most of the achievements. Glad I didn't buy it, as I don't think I would've played the rest (bonus missions, better ranks, etc).

[cube_b3]

Hopefully we should get enough DLC to justify a platinum edition purchase?

I would like to see the games that aren't represented get there own zones.

I would like to see the original maps of classic/modern zones also offered.

Crisis City Modern Remix is surprisingly terrible when compared to Sonic 06 (no kidding).

[Specially Cork]

Still amuses me somewhat that 2 decades ago my family paid a higher price for the original Sonic - but I still want to moan about Generations not being worth full price. How gaming has changed.

[DaMadFiddler]

I honestly don't remember... I know some games got pretty expensive, but was the average release back then really higher than the $60 current price? I know the PlayStation was largely credited with stabilizing game prices at $50, and that they were all over the board before that, but since the GameCube is the first console I actually bought while it was still current (I got the Dreamcast while it was on its way out), I didn't exactly have a lot of firsthand experience with retail prices.

[Specially Cork]

I honestly don't remember... I know some games got pretty expensive, but was the average release back then really higher than the $60 current price? I know the PlayStation was largely credited with stabilizing game prices at $50, and that they were all over the board before that, but since the GameCube is the first console I actually bought while it was still current (I got the Dreamcast while it was on its way out), I didn't exactly have a lot of firsthand experience with retail prices.

I don't know what it's like in the US but in the UK it's very competitive now. Many new games with a £50 RRP can be had for £35-£40ish. Sonic Generations was down to £20ish in the weeks before Christmas. Back in the old days everything just sold for the £50 RRP and that was it. I definitely remember paying £60 for a couple of N64 titles at launch. Internets changed everything though.

I really enjoy watching old video game TV shows on Youtube for this reason. Watching a basic £60 greyscale tetris-rip-off for Amiga get 4/5 reminds me how much better we have it now.