Sonic Generations... back to 1991!

So today I have something for all of those nostalgic gamers like myself, especially those who had a Mega Drive (Genesis) while growing up. It’s Sonic Generations!

20 years ago Sega created a small, quick blue hedgehog to compete with rivals Nintendo and their Mario, and to showcase their new consoles capabilities. Here we are 20 years later and it's back to the past!

I was surprised to see this title released for PC, since most (if not all) Sonic games to date have been console exclusive. So I had to get my hands on it and try it.
I was very positively surprised when playing it. The very basic of the story is that Sonic was having a picnic of sorts with his friends when some sort of portal opens, a monster comes and everything goes haywire. Later we find out there’s some distortion in space and time, and the present and past Sonics meet because of it.
What this translates to in terms of gameplay is that you will be able to play both a more traditional (and very close to the original titles) side scroller platformer, as well as an action packed running adventure, more like the modern ones. Both of which are incredibly fun.

Along the way there are main areas, each one with two stages (one for classic and one for modern Sonic), and many individual challenges such as racing against other characters from the franchise like Knuckles or Tails. Completing them unlocks some special items such as songs, artwork, or character bios. Each individual stage is beautifully designed, and there are many different paths available to reach the objective, some faster than others. To see all available paths you need to play the stages over and over. Things happen really fast sometimes and it takes good reflexes and a good memory to make some jumps that will take you somewhere new.

There are all kind of stages, varying from the original grassy hills area inspired first level, through the chemical plant, a city which looks a lot like San Francisco, a sea side resort and castle or a city engulfed in flames.

It wouldn’t be a sonic game unless it has some fun boss battles. The baddies make an appearance like Robot Sonic or Dr. Eggman, but the true boss is the original monster who transported everyone to this weird universe.

The sounds and music are great, combining new tracks, revamped old tracks, as well as the original ones (which you unlock by either completing challenges or collecting red stars). The sounds within game sound a lot like the ones from Sonic 1 through 3.

I think everyone can enjoy this title, but if you played the original ones and loved them like I did, it adds that touch of nostalgia that makes it all so much better.