E3 2011: Sonic Generations Preview (PS3, 360)
Posted by Mark Salmela on 06.13.2011
First Look: 411’s Mark Salmela checks out a new level inspired by Sonic Adventure 2, City Escape.
On the show floor this year Sega was only showing off Green Hill zone for Sonic Generations. Behind closed doors however, I got to check out a new level for both classic Sonic and new Sonic. This new level is a reimagining of the first level from Sonic Adventure 2, City Escape.
For those who don't remember City Escape starts off with Sonic snowboarding down the street for a couple minutes before turning into an actual platforming level. Perhaps the most memorable section of the level takes place when Sonic gets chased through the streets by a giant truck before finishing the level. In Sonic Generations both new and old Sonic face similar obstacles.
New Sonic's level is very similar to what you saw in Sonic Adventure 2's City Escape. The level starts off with the same snowboarding down the hill, minus a few tweaks to give the level more variety. The gameplay of new Sonic's levels are very similar to what they were in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. You'll run really fast and use a combination of homing attacks, slides, and charges to overcome obstacles. The truck chase from Sonic Adventure 2 is recreated well here, except this time the giant truck had giant buzz saw blades which new Sonic has to dodge. If you played City Escape in Sonic Adventure 2 you'll appreciate this reimagining for new Sonic, it's very nostalgic.
Classic Sonic's level is a 2D platforming level featuring a background similar to City Escape, although besides the truck from Sonic Adventure 2 tearing through the background every now and again the level doesn't feel very familiar, but then again it shouldn't since the whole level plays in 2D. Similar to Green Hill Zone there's a lot of branching paths in old Sonic's City Escape, with the higher route being harder to get to but being faster to run through and often being the safer route in terms of obstacles and enemies.
Both new and old Sonic's levels featured a remix of the original City Escape music. Old Sonic's music is actually very catchy to listen to, which is quite the feat since most people agree the original music from Sonic Adventure 2 wasn't very good. Also, for those unfamiliar old Sonic's mechanics are very different then new Sonic's since his levels are strictly 2D and has less of a focus on speed. Old Sonic takes a second to get up to full speed and when stopping has a bit of momentum carrying him forward, similar to the Sonic games on Sega Genesis.
As a long-time fan of Sonic the Hedgehog I really enjoyed both old and new Sonic's City Escape. The level felt a lot more alive and a lot more fun to explore than Green Hill Zone, which is a huge plus since I already thought Green Hill Zone was very fun to play as well. As someone who didn't enjoy Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Colors I will say I'm very excited to see more of Sonic Generations. As a final note Sega wasn't showing or talking about any bonus stages or boss battles for the console version. The 3DS version featured one boss battle inspired by the final boss of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Sega Genesis.
