Sonic Generations is undoubtedly one of the better Sonic games which have been released in recent years. Combining the Sonic of today with the Sonic of yesterday, the game brings back memories of the character with which amateur gamers fell in love with and the character which propelled the series to heights of success. Through the years, there had been quite a few disappointing attempts to recreate the original magic but Sonic Generations manages to delete all past failures. It is also worth mentioning that the game celebrates the 20th anniversary of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, which means that the game is older than most of the readers of this review, yet it maintains a level of interest among the gamers of today.

The plot is simple: all of Sonic’s friends have been sucked up by an evil force; a mysterious life form, the Time Eater and the mastermind behind him is none other than Dr Eggman, and scattered them throughout time and space and you have to get them back.

The stages are divided into two eras- classic and modern. The stages have to be played twice — once as the old Sonic, while the other, as the new Sonic and though it sounds boring it is actually quite a lot of fun to tackle same levels with different abilities and in different perspectives.

The classic Sonic zips around in 2D environment stomping opponents and collecting gold coins. The side scrolling screens bring back memories and it’s like reliving the experience of Sonic of the old days. The modern Sonic appears mainly in 3D and at some points in the level turns to 2D as well. He has some added abilities like midair homing attacks and a speed boost instead of the old spin dash. Apart from the classic power ups of invincibility and speed shoes there are certain unique power ups for certain stages, such as skateboards for City Escape and Wisp power in Planet Wisp.

Both Hedgehogs have distinct moves but due to the superfast pace of the game, it’s easy to lose track of which Sonic you are actually playing. Although the controls of the two Hedgehogs take a bit of getting used to, this is not something which is that difficult and can be mastered with only a little practice. The stages themselves are a treat to watch as attention to detail is quite spectacular. The speed of the game, however, lessens the amount of detail you can process, but you would be best advised to spare sometime to explore the details. There are multiple paths that you can take and these are sprinkled with a number of obstacles and challenges, such as moving platforms, springboards, spikes, water areas and lasers, etc.

As you go ahead, you unlock a tonne of content including challenges. After completing the main acts of an area, you have to collect three keys in order to unlock the next boss encounter. And to gain access to the key, you have to complete a series of challenges which include racing duels, speed trials, score challenges and more. You have the option of choosing which challenge to play so you can indulge yourself in the encounter which suits you best.

All in all, the game gives excellent entertainment value to old and new gamers alike. For some, it would be nostalgic, reliving the start of the modern era of gaming, while for others it would prove to be an exceptional and blazing fast experience. The Sonic Team has managed to produce a balance between the classic and the modern Sonic which should appeal to all. — Sohail Saleem