Warning: Spoilers for the new Sonic Generations cutscenes ahead.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is out now, which sees the fan-favorite Sonic Generations remastered with a new, equally-sized experience titled Shadow Generations packaged alongside it, serving as a great way to experience the best of both supersonic hedgehogs. While the newer iteration of Sonic Generations isn't perfect, with Shadow Generations showing notable improvement comparatively, both games are still incredibly fun to play, and Sonic's side of the collection getting benefits from a few quality-of-life features. While players can experience both adventures in Sonic X Shadow Generations however they want, returning to Sonic Generations first to get reacquainted with how the games work may be beneficial, and there are plenty of new surprises to find while doing so.
Firstly, how Sonic Generations runs on newer hardware is worth seeing first-hand. In interviews, the head of Sonic Team stated how 60 frames per second gameplay qould really make Generations feel like a high-speed action game, and it most certainly feels like that from the very start once players jump in. Graphical upgrades also bring out details in Sonic Generations to the extent that small details such as Easter egg signs and posters in the game's gorgeous stages are much easier to see. Gamers may also notice that Sonic and friends sound a bit different, and that there's a new collectible to gather in the form of missing Chao.
All Doom Powers in Shadow Generations, Ranked
Sonic X Shadow Generations gives Shadow the Hedgehog five Doom abilities. While all are useful, some are more fun to master than others.
What's New in Sonic's Side of Sonic X Shadow Generations
Sonic Generations' Cutscenes Have New Audio and Slight Visual Changes, and Here's Why
The original release of Sonic Generations was widely well-received in terms of its gameplay, but the biggest criticism fans had with it was the fact that it had hardly any story to speak of. This was such a big criticism that Sega decided to give the remaster a chance to fix it, with the old (and new cast in the case of Knuckles' new voice from Frontiers) returning to completely redo the dialogue for Generations with new and edited lines by Shadow Generations' writer Ian Flynn. The aim of changing the dialogue was to try and insert a bit more of a story to match the existing animations.
Sonic Generations' story is still rather simplistic and small even with the new cutscenes, and if fans want more of a narrative, then they should look at Shadow Generations, but the additions do a good job of keeping characters and lore consistent between titles. Sonic and Tails no longer don't know what Green Hill and Chemical Plant Zone are, and the Time Stones from Sonic CD are brought up to put the Time Eater's powers into further perspective. Some cutscenes have more new dialogue than others, but one change that might interest players is that Modern Sonic is no longer quiet when he saves his friends at the end of every stage. Players get to choose which Sonic saves which characters by choosing which order they play Act 1 and Act 2 in, so knowing these changes ahead of time may help them decide their order. Sonic also no longer shoves his hand in Amy's face at the start, and Amy only shoves Knuckles a bit in the ending, no longer pushing him into the tree.
Players Can Find Chao Throughout Sonic Generations' Stages
When it came to remastering Sonic Generations, it was accepted by Sonic Team that many players had experienced and known the original release by heart. As such, the developers wanted to add something that even the most experienced player could look forward to. For this, they turned to the Chao that have become a secondary icon for the series, and not only scattered them across the stages, but also made them each unique with different animations in the hub world each time players load back in. This serves as a great way to make the little critters more than just a generic collectible, as fans can see them dance, play instruments, and generally just be cute once they finally find them on their runs.
Sonic Generations might not have changed too much, but what's been added certainly makes it run to revisit, as it once again remixes nostalgia with unexpected additions. Even if the new writing for Sonic's cutscenes may be rather small in comparison to Shadow's story, the changes still help make Sonic X Shadow Generations a cohesive package that die-hard fans are sure to love from all angles.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Engine
- Hedgehog Engine 2
- Franchise
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
WHERE TO PLAY
THE RETURN OF SHADOW
In this new standalone campaign, Shadow's nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.
SHADOW EVOLVED
Harness Shadow's new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!
A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND DIMENSIONS
Experience the ultimate showdown between Shadow and Black Doom in a new boss battle that will test your skills and reflexes. Use all of Shadow's abilities to defeat Black Doom and save the world!
EXPLORE THE NEW WHITE SPACE
Stretch your legs in an all-new hub world inspired by the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers. As Shadow gains new powers, he can explore further and uncover the secrets hidden throughout!
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
