HowLongToBeat.com lists this game as taking five and a half hours to beat. Compare that to my playtime. I've gotten to the point where I can beat most levels in two or three minutes and I still keep going back to them. It's not a hugely challenging game but the experience of just running through the levels is delightful and relaxing while still demanding your attention to successfully complete. Shaving off seconds of your best time or just messing around and exploring the alternate paths makes for a fun distraction of an evening.

I generally go back and replay Sonic 3 & Knuckles at least once a year. I love that game and it was by far my favourite in the franchise. I say was because Generations is now a very, very close second. Only the final boss - which, in contrast to the rest of the game, is a trainwreck - holds it back from the top spot.

The nine levels from the game are taken from previous games. Revisiting some favourites from the old games is lovely, but these levels are great by themselves apart from the nostalgia factor. Each level is split into two acts, in the first you play as "Classic Sonic" who is styled after Sonic's sprites from the very first game. He handles very much like the Mega Drive games with only minor differences in physics (though his spin dash has been upgraded to the point of being almost hilariously powerful and fast) and really captures the old feel in a way that Sonic 4 absolutely did not.

Also unlike Sonic 4 the game makes full use of its 3D environment while still playing entirely in 2D. The background scenery is gorgeous and used in ways that would not be possible in a fully 2D game.

The 3D levels play like an amazing mix of standard 3D platformer, racing game and rhythm game. It moves much faster than the 2D sections but the forward facing camera allows you to see what's coming up ahead and react accordingly. This half of the game is much more dynamic with far more buttons on the controller being used as Sonic runs, jumps, boosts, slides, stomps, sidesteps and drifts through the levels.

The levels, both 2D and 3D, are much more designed than those of the Mega Drive games. There is less general exploration and open areas than in the old games. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The rule of high route = fast and low route = slow is enforced strongly throughout the game. Failure to hit a jump correctly does not (usually) lead straight to a bottomless pit but instead to a lower path. These diverging paths periodically meet back up for the levels set pieces which provide some spectacle for the player before allows them to try and get to the top route again. It's a clear system that gives the player a goal on replays: Learn the top paths and get them down to a tee.

There's also a variety of side missions for each level. Only 9 out of 90 need to be completed in order to beat the game, making them a nice mostly optional challenge for those who want to get a bit more out of it.

The game features 7 boss battles which are all quite varied but all, apart from the atrocious final boss, are great fun.

As for the story, there's thankfully not much of one.

There's also some nice extra level mods for this game both released and on the horizon.

I foresee myself replaying this game for a long time to come.

If you were ever a fan of the Master System/Megadrive Sonic games, then this game might actually please you. If your more familiar with the newer sonic games then this game delivers in that area too. The 2D and 3D elements of sonic have been merged together to create a game that caters for all and does it well.

Probably one of my favourite platformers ever. Possibly one of the best Sonic games ever, a very fun game that i recommend everyone to buy. If you dont like the 3D then play 2D and vise versa.

Plus theres a load of mods to add previous Sonic games levels into it and other characters. The modding community is very much still alive.

Sega surprisingly did a really good job with this game.

Sonic Generation, a game created for celebrate the 20 years of the good ol' hedgehog.
Pretty much the same gameplay mechanic as the most recent Sonic games, like Sonic Colors, but still really enjoyable and fun to play.

The animations are really amazing and well done, same for the environments, and of course, this last one is all styled as the past Sonic's games.

Some stages might be really frustrating, but probably it was just me, playing this game on a keyboard. Get a controller for this game, really makes everything more easy to play.

The real great thing of this game is the soundtrack: all styled as the old and fantastic Sonic's soundtracks, they really bring you back. Also, if you move around really fast in the main zone where you have to choose the stage, you can hear how they timed them to make an infinite song with all the background ones. Is amazing.

My final Score: 8/10

Get this game, you won't regret it.

How do you define a good Sonic game?

The series was struggling with the right answer for this question. The Sonic Generations attempt was one of the last possible calls for SEGA to do things right and... they succeeded! This game single handedly revived the franchise for me and gave me the kick to check out the old classics for the first time (I'm the Dreamcast Kid). This game is really this good!

Imagine that the famous band tries to set up "The Best of..." album. They take one best song from each previous album. Some of the releases of this band were horrible and you think: "Remaking this track is a bad idea! This was a dark age for this band!". You are relieved when you notice that the "that one" dreaded song sounds so new and fresh! Even more... you notice that every song has one version for the original vocalist and second for the new one that came into band recently. This is Sonic Generations in nutshell. They took a level from every single game in the main series and remade them to fit for both: the old and cute Classic Sonic with 2D gameplay and the Modern Sonic with the boost mechanic. Fear Sonic '06 no more! Crisis City in this game better than ever! And you can cure your PTSD from the Silver boss fight here! Don't like him? IT'S NO USE! He will suffer and you will be satisfied!

I think that the good Sonic game is the one with the good controls and clever level design. While the controls of the Modern Sonic aren't still at the level of Sonic Adventure's one they are still acceptable. Classic Sonic rolls and hops nearly just like in the Genesis era, only with few inconsistencies.

The level design in this game is near GORGEOUS. They look extremely well and they are designed around the idea of the multiple paths in the single level. There is still one start point and one goal post, but there are many routes for the run through the stage. The exploration is highly rewarded by the Red Star Rings that are layed on the different pathway in the level. You may find yourself replaying the level multiple times to finally reach the highest, fastest and the most skillful pathway. Even when the Modern Sonic still has the Boost Button, the levels have more platforming this time around and it is not bad implemented. This level design single handedly makes up for the all replayability of the game - just look at my playtime.

The graphics are... oh my... they are outstanding. The Surreal Realism fits the series like a glove. There are pretty water effects, plants and locations and yet still the game have a incredible, cartoony artstyle. Unfortunely this game really needs a good computer to run smoothly, but if you have a nice power PC, the 60 FPS in this game and the art style will make you ♥♥♥♥ on the nice visually but weak artistically games like Crysis.

Soundtrack of this game is a pack of music all well known to the fans of the series handled with the nice remixes. "Escape from the City"? "Live and Learn"? Crisis City Stage music? Chemical Plant? Awesome disco remix for the "Classic" Speed Highway? Do want!

Controller is a must here... Sorry keyboard-exclusive guys. Story is kinda weak too. Don't buy this game for the SA2-like story. You won't find it here. The nods to the previous games are fun, but the writing and plot is nearly non-existent. The online mode is very buggy and may crash your game when you are attempting to unlock the achievement. Final boss fight is not well designed and Side-missions are hit or miss, but still, I was happily to finish this game on 100%. 4 times.

This is a extremely solid 3D platformer. This is one of the few Sonic games that I would easly recommend to the people who are not fond with the series yet. This is really a high note in the franchise and you are really missing out if you put a fold on it. It is definitely not perfect with various bugs, weak story and the short playthrough, but the replayability, level design and the presentation is top notch.

Side note: kids REALLY like this game! Tested on several individuals during the babysitting. It may be too hard for the less skilled, but with supervising parent this will be a really good time!