Back during the heights of first person shooters and gritty settings & characters, it was also at a time where Sonic looked he was on the up. After Sonic Colors, something interesting happened that hadn’t been as exciting since the unveiling of Unleashed trailers. Odd that I have 11/1/11 etched into my brain but to me this was a countdown: that at the right place, the right time, and the right feeling, turned into what became a good, if not great, if not awesome, if not outstanding, if not amazing game that would be. I would like to take you into back to 2011 and what it was like to be a fan during that time, the expectations, and the outcome of what is still considered my favorite video game of all time: Sonic Generations for the 360/PS3/PC (unless Sonic x Shadow Gens becomes better lol).
After the success of Sonic Colors for the Wii, it seemed that Sonic Team & SEGA have finally struck a homerun, with both fans & critics mostly pleased. But the game’s success set a new precedent: for not only being a great overall game but that SEGA & Sonic Team finally listened to the feedback of previous titles, more particularly to Unleashed’s Daytime stages. This was something that wasn’t really transparent between them and the consumers, as it seemed the team’s past ideas were more experimental with different gameplay designs and ideas. Which wasn’t bad, as previous games often had fun & unique gameplay, creative levels, and some of the stories at the very least were interesting. But it was inconsistent, and the games sometimes sacrificed good controls for those designs, leading to bad critic scores. And while I enjoy the great amount and choice in the 2000s I had in Sonic games, I would be lying if I said they all turned out perfect. And at the current time, the franchise was coming off an all-time-low at the time in terms of negative publicity in image before Colors. So to have the reveal trailers leading up to what a combo of those Daytime Unleashed stages and a true classic 2-D Genesis style platformer that was sorely missing from Sonic 4, is a huge cause for excitement.
Before the reveal trailer a poll was taken by SEGA employees and fans on what their favorite stages were throughout the series, even ones from spin-off games. Unfortunately I was unaware of the poll at the time, but it was the driving force to what stages were developed for the game and it is a fine selection as well. As the year went on, the PR was on top of getting people hyped up of the game. Trailers of all stages were revealed in a montage of gameplay clips and CGI promos, fairly similar to their current ones. They bundled it into 3 different eras, to represent a celebration of both the series and for it’s 20th anniversary: Classic, Adventure, & Modern. They even had a skatepark promotional event of the game in San Diego, with guest appearances by Tony Hawk and other famous skateboarders. Needless to say, it felt like Sonic Team finally got it right and the way that SEGA was promoting it showed who confident their new game was going to become.
I was the only one that showed up for a midnight release for Sonic Generations for the Xbox 360. Hilariously the Gamestop clerk asked if was here for Uncharted 3 beforehand (which is a fair assumption, great game too lol) and I grabbed my copy and went back home to play for an hour before bed. When I first played the beginning levels of the game, I knew I had something special and all suspicions were confirmed: about everything, besides the story, to me was perfect. And even then it was 1) a very inoffensive and kind of a nothing-burger of a story & 2) not usually what I play Sonic games for, as gameplay, level design, and music usually matter more to me in one (although I don’t discount the lore and attempts at canon). The intro straight into Green Hill as Classic Sonic with amazing controls that what Sonic 4 should of been, combined with the more tighter and responsive Modern Sonic controls helped made the game feel responsive & amazing. I stopped at Sky Sanctuary and let my thoughts literally and figuratively rest on what I have just played. And as I went on and play it again the next day, it was true and this game was real.
While the story was nothing to write home about, the little character interactions are nice and little references & callbacks sprinkled throughout. They can even help you in fun side missions to unlock artwork & music tracks (which can be overlaid on any stage or mission; a feature sorely missed before Frontiers), and with 18 stages in total: 9 Classic & 9 Modern, it offered great replay-ability and let you hunt for Red Rings through various paths and secret areas. The bosses, also remixed to fit the gameplay, gives a more cinematic flare to their original counterparts and let you experience them in a new, and sometimes familiar way as well. Needless to say, I love the game, even to the point of 100% completing it in 11 days (most days was the one Time Eater achievement, ugh). And over the years, I go back and replay it every 2-3 years and even recently gotten into mods for the PC version, which offers way more content to last you for years, like custom stages & skins. It is a wonderful community achievement that I hope doesn’t get affected if the original game gets delisted on Steam.
Overall the feeling of Sonic being “back” was in full swing after Generations, and it was because of the new Modern gameplay style that Unleashed set the groundwork for Colors & Generations to succeed in the public eye. It gave me a sense the games were on the right track to be a wonderful critically acclaimed series all us fans wanted. If it was another disappointment or failure, I probably would either never play future Sonic titles again or my relationship with the series would be more distant. But fortunately, fans and critics alike gave it high scores and the game ended up selling near 2 million copies. It was a victory of all and the future of the series looked bright, and as a fan, I was excited to see what more there was to come. In the end, it didn’t really worked out in the way I hoped in the year after but I am glad on where the series is today. It is about in the same position as it was in 2011, but with more behind it with the franchise’s success in movies, Frontiers, and a few TV/Netflix shows. Plus, the amount of fans have grown exponentially, with even the public reception of Sonic is positive once more and arguably the best it has ever been. And I believe that if it wasn’t for the overall success of Colors and Generations after the fact, history may by way now. I always remember the 2012 re-structure and think back on what could have been if those games weren’t successful. With a mix of nostalgia, uncertainty, excitement, & cautious optimism the hype of 2011 was huge and it culminated into one of the best received games in the franchise.
What are your thoughts and do you remember the pre-launch of Sonic Generations? Do you have different memories or if you would just like to share yours, please comment down below!
