Sonic Generations

SEGA has released 23 new screenshots of Green Hill Zone from the 3DS version of Sonic Generations.
In this latest batch we can see that a lot of visual improvements have been made to to the level. We also get our first look at the level select menu in this version of the game.

New info! Again.

German gaming website PlayFront.de has released seven new screenshots from the Seaside Hill stage in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Sonic Generations. In this batch, we get another peek at Classic Sonic in the new underwater section. We can also see a new section where Modern Sonic will have to dodge past rolling rocks through a narrow path.

Check out all seven of the new screenshots below:

Not a word on the theme song. :(

Spoilers!

There are murmurs of some major reveals coming Monday when IGN reveals its Sonic Generations preview.  But why wait?  Across the Atlantic, Spanish website Meristation has already written a detailed preview, and there is a fair bit of juicy information within.

Meristation played an “almost final” version of the game, with six of the game’s known nine zones playable. Though there are no accompanying screenshots (or additional information, for that matter,) Speed Highway from Sonic Adventure was mentioned in the preview for the first time.  Through a rough Google translation, we learn how the levels and missions work, and we also learn how the hub worlds work:

[....] Each of these worlds has also conducted five missions in their own levels, the classic Sonic or modern.  These missions are accessed through doors that open alternatives in each room of each environment.  Of course, also have a rating at the end and are quite long, varied and more difficult to perform. Moreover, through the first mission of each area unlock the key to that world, allowing us access to the officials and the new territories. As you can see a play structure that will so nostalgic platformer crazy fans of the genre.

Another success is the proper selection menu for worlds, stages and missions, which is itself a platform filled level with alternative paths, hops, and parts that get unlocked.

Meristation claims that every time we clear the main two acts of a zone, one of Sonic’s friends will be saved.  So, it’s safe to assume there will be several of them within, and as noted before, they will play a secondary role in-game through the challenge acts.  Anything beyond that, for the moment, is anyone’s guess.

We’re not yet completely sure if the challenge acts and missions are one in the same, but Meristation via a rough translation seems to indicate as much in explaining how those will work; it will be old hat for most:

With regard to missions, there are many types. We tested several different worlds but to give you an example and as we asked Sega, discuss only those of the first, the Green Hill Zone. In one instance we were asked to collect all the possible boot television to reach the goal before our shadow, in a frantic race to the sides that still reminds of Sonic Adventure 2. Another mission asked to arrive with a minimum number of rings at the end of an intricate path parallel normal level, so the missions will also explore areas where you will not pass on the standard route but do exist, we will see if we can not access to them. Another mission we ask in a minute and a closed environment of mobile platforms, defeat the maximum possible enemies. Another pursue a robot that throws rings through various hoops … Classical mechanics are pretty much but prolong the life of the game, especially if we want to unlock it in full, as we will need all the points to finish the stages, bosses, and S class missions and all the red ring of stars collected.

The big bomb comes when Meristation confirms that the original 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog will be an unlockable game within Sonic Generations, confirming the Genesis/Mega Drive feature found in the June demo.  We suspect it may not end there, as Meristation explains a wealth of unlockables and skill upgrades, some of which they couldn’t disclose in their preview:

Precisely this is one of the great attractions we have found Sonic Generations, extras and shop skills. On the former, there is a large room of collectibles at the beginning of wasteland that serves as a selector of levels and missions. I can not reveal what I find here but we have already achieved with the red rings of star, a prized item hidden in some of the missions and all Acts of both worlds.  Of course, we announced that fans can not resist character to unlock all this stuff, very juicy, you’ll see why in the analysis.  On the other hand next to this room is the Skill Shop, where the points obtained from the rankings that we achieve at each level, mission and head can purchase upgrades to our protagonist, as higher speed, an extra life, the classic coat, more time in the air on jumps, standing land damage, which last longer rings around us to lose, an initial push to start with speed …and the unlockable that most surprised us, attention: the chance to play Sonic The Hedgehog classic MegaDrive in full.

The preview oozes of optimism for Generations, and even seems to pre-emptively place it in an arbitrary running for Game of the Year.  It’s been a long time since that language has been used on anything Sonic related. Apparently, there is also a hard mode in the game, as it is the only way to get a Classic Eggman avatar costume seen below.

More should be coming next week when IGN releases their preview. And new 3ds pics!          I'm so getting it in Xbox 360! :D

You know you have to work for the outfit right?

And....

Video game retailer GAME held the first UK edition of their GAMEfest event last weekend and SEGA was in attendance with all 3 versions of Sonic Generations and both versions of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Community members TrueBlue471 and Hogfather attended and have shared footage and impressions of the games, which we have for you below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642qlHKNWZ8&feature=player_embedded

TrueBlue471 has sent in the above video, which contains footage of both Modern and Classic Sonic City Escape Acts in the console version of Sonic Generations and Classic Sonic’s Green Hill Zone Act in the Nintendo 3DS version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK6QvzMmmlU&feature=player_embedded#!

Hogfather has sent us his impressions of all versions of Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, together with the above video of SEGA’s booth.

You can read all of Hogfather’s impressions below.

Sonic Generations (3DS)

We’ve all seen the early screenshots, we’ve all seen the early shaky cam footage of it in action and it didn’t impress at all. Unfortunately it still has a lot to prove.

Whilst visually the game has improved tremendously from the original build we saw, praise must go to Dimps for actually doing something that so many people have asked for a great many years… Re-create the classic stages exactly as before only with updated visuals.

Playing through Mushroom Hill zone you can’t help but at least admire Dimps for the effort that’s been put in to making the game look true to the original stages.

But… whilst the stages look nice, the build I played did have its fair share of problems, try doing a spin dash with the analogue stick thing on the 3DS, it can’t be done, you must use the d-pad to play. The build also had a few issues with actually rendering the level, at times during Mushroom Hill Act 1 the paths didn’t appear to load/render when you were moving through the level at speed.

With regards to the 3D effect. It’s dreadful, just turn it off. It looks terrible in every stage I played and offers utterly nothing to the game.

However, if you care about these kind of things, you will be happy to know that the game plays more like the classics and less like Sonic 4… … .. So if you don’t want to learn how to play a new game or want to moan about little things, this one’s for you!

Sonic Generations (PS3/Xbox 360)

I played on both the PS3/Xbox 360 version for both stages of Green hill and… City Escape.

The build I played of the Green Hill is a lot different to that of the demo we had on XBLA and the PSN. One tiny change which might make some people happy is that the issue of where sonic hit an enemy in relation to how high he bounces appears to have been fixed. Controls seem to be much more responsive, even when boosting as modern Sonic, you can make small precise movements when heading down a straight.

Whilst Green Hill Zone is a relatively easy stage to beat, mastering it is going to take some time. However due to the number of times you run into Omachoa who gives you… advice, one could claim that Green Hill is designed to be a tutorial kind of stage, it’s easy yes, there’s lots of advice given, but at no point do you think ‘this is a tutorial’ and to master the stage, it’s going to take a number of playthroughs.

City Escape.

For those who said ‘this looks easy’ or… you can just boost through it… I point at you and laugh, you are in for a shock! City Escape is a tricky stage which COMMANDS great platforming skill, you CANNOT boost through it as modern or classic sonic, there are open areas for modern sonic which means boosting is impossible, well it’s not impossible… you will boost, for 3 seconds, after which you crash into a wall.

As both classic and modern Sonic, relying on boosting or spin dashing through this stage will result in you completing the stage in a very long time, mastering this stage will not be an easy task, you have to time your jumps just right and be at a good enough speed to actually make them when they do.

The Gun Truck sequence… to quote Robin Williams from the movie Jumanji…

“A hunter from the darkest wild, makes you feel just like a child.”
“What is it?”
“The Gun Truck!”

Ok maybe a bit too dramatic, but there’s just something about this sequence that gets the blood pumping, maybe it’s that the Gun Truck destroys homes to get you, it follows you relentlessly throughout the stage, if you have a 3D TV it even comes out at the screen to get you the player. Maybe I quoted the wrong movie; Terminator has a more appropriate line. “It can’t be reasoned with, it can’t be bargained with! It doesn’t feel pity! Or remorse! Or fear! And it absolutely will not stop EVER! Until you are dead!”

Whilst the Gun Truck sequence is a relief from a demand of platforming, don’t let the trailers or the this sequence fool you. City escape is a tricky stage, it DEMANDS precision platforming and it’s a VERY impressive stage at that.

I played both the Xbox 360/PS3 versions of Generations, whilst I didn’t have any problems with lag input on the PSN demo I played back in the summer, if there was any truth to this claim back in the summer, it certainly doesn’t exist now, both versions play equally and look equally stunning. Maybe if you care enough to test them in near laboratory conditions you might find a difference, otherwise it’s only going to be something that 3 people might argue about enough to convince themselves that everybody else secretly does care… yet we’re too busy playing a very well made game.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)

I only played the canoe game, and surprisingly… this was a lot of fun, the controls did indeed match up with a canoe motion, the game was responsive and I actually felt like I was playing it and making my characters move as they should. As with previous Mario & Sonic games the key was finding a rhythm and maintaining that only to go crazy near the end of the race.

As strange as it sounds for me to say, the game was actually enjoyable, but then again, maybe it’s because I was sat in a canoe whilst playing the game instead of sitting in my room with a flicker light?

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)

The 3DS version is… a little disappointing, there were a series of minigames to play ranging from Judo to the ‘walking race.’ Judo was amazingly poor, it’s basically a QTE minigame, whilst I don’t mind QTE’s this one is let down by the design of the 3DS itself, holding the D-pad button and one of the normal buttons is not the easiest thing to do in the speed that the game demands, as crazy as that sounds. But it does look quite cool when the game borrows Marvel Vs Capcoms hyper combo screens as Mario or Luigi did a leg sweep… and another… and another… and another… I guess nobody told the devs that in Judo you can do more moves than leg Sweep?

Maybe they designed this section after watching the Karate Kid?

The walking race, just a case of sliding the stylus from left to right in a set speed for the entire minigame… … boring.

The 3D effect… as with Generations 3DS, terrible and pointless. Turn it off.

Big thanks to TrueBlue471 and Hogfather for the gameplay footage and previews!

The Freedom Fighter wrote:But the Red Rings are still in it...I'm almost positive I've seen them in screenshots or videos.