Figuring Out Sonic Generations - A Retrospective | PostMesmeric

Sonic Generations was striking. More than 10 years after its highly anticipated launch, it has been praised by critics, marking a strong entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. But despite being a pure throwback, it pales in comparison to the nostalgia fanfare of Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic Adventure 2. Why does this excellent game not get the same level of nostalgic examination as those games? Let's try figuring out Sonic Generations and see why this game deserves better, 10 years later.
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Sonic Unleashed footage: • Sonic Unleashed (HD) p...
Sonic and the Secret Rings footage: • Sonic and the Secret R...
Sonic Generations - Announcement Trailer: www.youtube.co....
Sonic Generations - City Escape Trailer: www.youtube.co....
Additional music by OCRemix
#sonicgenerations #sonic #sonicthehedgehog

[@GeekCritique]

You knocked it out of the park on this one. Thank you!

[@PostMesmeric]

Really thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank YOU!

[@Pikanjo]

I felt classic Sonic didn't control as smooth as the 2D Genesis games. I also wished a few more classic stages, like Carnival Night Zone and Marble Garden Zone, were included. They could be mind-bendingly interesting in 2.5D.

[@PostMesmeric]

Yup, I do think Classic Sonic's jump was a bit stiff. Would've liked more 2D era stages too.

[@Litchy51]

@Egg Pawn Gaming I’ve never played Gens, but just from watching it on KZbin, even though Classic Sonic may not be 1-to-1 he still looks fun as heck to play.

[@nintony2994]

omg same. Carnival Night Zone could be insane dudeeee

[@poohwithtimbs7027]

My main gripe with this game is that it feels too short.

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

As something of a Sonic fan myself, I always imagined what the perfect Sonic game would be. I honestly believe lies somewhere between Generations, Sonic R, and Sonic Riders. The 3D Generations Boost Formula where you race other characters on foot and different classes of character have access to their own unique routes. And in Single Player the other racers would act as power ups, letting you swap between Sonic and the friend character's unique abilities.

[@PostMesmeric]

It's cool to hear what fans consider a "perfect Sonic game" because there are a lot of ideas to throw around. Sonic Riders is a unique angle. That game is pretty interesting and might be worth a look down the line.

[@MarbleCellar]

my quest to watch every sonic video essay on this website continues. even now, on this barren earth, the journey must doggedly continue.

[@PostMesmeric]

Considering how many Sonic videos are on KZbin already, that's a mighty journey.

[@teaganjeras156]

How id improve the game: Area 1: Classic Era Sonic The Hedgehog (1991) Zone 1: Green Hill Zone Zone 2: Marble Zone Boss: Egg Wrecking Ball Character Rescued: Tails (Classic & Modern) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992) Zone 1: Chemical Plant Zone Zone 2: Casino Night Zone Boss: Death Egg Robot Character Rescued: Amy Rose (Classic & Modern) Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) Zone 1: Angel Island Zone Zone 2: Sky Sanctuary Zone Boss: Big Arms Character Rescued: Knuckles The Echidna (Classic & Modern) Area 2: Dreamcast Era Sonic Adventure (1998) Zone 1: Emerald Coast Zone 2: Speed Highway Boss: Chaos 0/Perfect Chaos Character Rescued: Cream The Rabbit Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) Zone 1: City Escape Zone 2: Metal Harbor Bosses: Shadow The Hedgehog & Biolizard Characters Rescued: Rouge The Bat Sonic Heroes (2003) Zone 1: Seaside Hill Zone 2: Rail Canyon Boss: Neo Metal Sonic/Metal Madness Character Rescued: Espio The Chameleon Shadow The Hedgehog (2004) Zone 1: Westopolis Zone 2: Sky Troops Boss: Black Doom/Devil Doom Character Rescued: E-123 Omega Area 3: Modern Era Sonic Riders (2005) Zone 1: Metal City Zone 2: Babylon Garden Bosses: Jet The Hawk & Babylon Guardian Character Rescued: Big The Cat Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) Zone 1: Flame Core Zone 2: Crisis City Bosses: Silver The Hedgehog & Iblis Character Rescued: Blaze The Cat Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2007) Zone 1: Botanical Kingdom Zone 2: Crimson Crater Boss: Master Core: ABIS Character Rescued: Marine The Raccoon Sonic Unleashed (2008) Zone 1: Rooftop Run/ Spagonia Zone 2: Jungle Joyride/Adabat Boss: Egg Dragoon Character Rescued: Vector The Crocodile Sonic Colors (2010) Zone 1: Tropical Resort Zone 2: Planet Wisp Boss: Nega Wisp Armor Character Rescued: Charmy Bee Final Boss: Time Eater/Temporal Time Eater (Time Eater's Ultimate Form)

[@jknifgijdfui]

Finite money

[@RarefoilB]

I really appreciated the subtitles here, they made the video a lot easier to watch. I don't know if you've been using them since the beginning or if this is more recent, but please keep on having them.

[@PostMesmeric]

There are some much older videos that I still need to update with subtitles, but the newer stuff will have subtitles. I'm happy that they're helping.

[@obsidianchao]

Legit the most underrated channel on KZbin. Love you.

[@PostMesmeric]

Doin' my best. Thank you for the kind words.

[@loziclec.1295]

8:24 I've been trying to tell my friends that the Boost games and Sonic Adventure 2 have more in common with each other than Sonic Adventure 2 does to Sonic Adventure. SA2 has more of a focus on constant forward progress and flashy set pieces. The Boost games just dial up the speed and spectacle, and the boost keeps Sonic moving forward on its own so the whole analog stick can be used to steer. I am curious what you would suggest for further refining the formula. Also I usually defend the 2D segments in Modern Sonic's levels, since they add some nice verticality and break up the constant speed with platforming (which is always easier to judge in 2D than 3D), but that's just looking at the boost formula in a bubble. Paired with Classic Sonic, Modern's 2D bits do feel redundant.

[@PostMesmeric]

Yeah, the 2D parts of Modern Sonic's stages are controversial. Some love them and appreciate their inclusion, others find them redundant. As far as refining the formula, Generations would probably need a bit more diversity and ingenuity on the level design side of things. Not every stage is a grand slam and some could use more depth or alternate paths. As for the mechanics, relying on the Boost just a tad less in Modern Sonic's stages might allow for more mix-ups for stage progression. I like the drift, sidestep, etc. and if that all could come together into a convergent pace, Generations could've hit the highest mark possible. Just ideas, though. There's a lot to consider.

[@MrE_Gaming1]

Sonic generations, Unleashed & Sonic Heroes Are The Three Great Sonic Games For Me! Truly infinitely replay-able. Thank you for helping me rediscover my love for generations!

[@PostMesmeric]

No problem. Generations is well worth remembering and replaying.

[@Sponsie1000]

l just cant believe they never added any levelpacks to Generations,, l liked the pinballgame well enough as a minigame, but with how well-received the game was selling like 3 more levels for 10~15 bucks seems like a no-brainer to me, especially if they made those stages Extra fancy :]

[@PostMesmeric]

There was a lot more ground that could've been covered with DLC. Big bummer that it didn't get it.

[@thegreatsandra947]

@@PostMesmeric yes, exacccccctly! i wonder how some spinoff titles` levels would look like in Gen(For example - Sonic Rush levels, Shadow the Hedgehog Levels, or even Riders)

[@skeLPCgamez]

Hey, if Sonic Team won’t do it the fans will. Ten years later and people are still creating mods for Generations on PC. The modding community for this Sonic Game I think we can all agree has been the best in the series.

[@Gnidel]

@@thegreatsandra947 It's a shame that 3DS version didn't cover handheld history outside of Green Hill, Water Palace and Tropical Resort.

[@JonathanQShrimpling]

Im gonna make a mental note I found this channel at 10k subscribers, because I have a feeling that PostMesmeric is gonna hitting some KZbinr milestones soon enough

[@DesignFrameCaseStudies]

Great job man. You make some great points while keeping the general discourse in mind. Like the awesome reimagining of level themes (although did they really need to celebrate Sonic 06? Lol). And how the homing attack really does struggle with keeping up the pacing. What's weird is the games have always struggled with that for the homing attack if I remember correctly, so it seems to me that they have the boost to compensate for the loss of momentum that they don't know how to retain or feel good to the player. 'Cause it really doesn't feel good to slowly knock enemies out only to regain speed from the beginning, like it's punishing you for some reason. Honestly, though, I don't think the boost mechanic does Sonic any favors. It's too automated to feel like you're successfully gaining speed from playing well and using the environment, but also too fast to really take advantage of platforming and such. Yeah you're going fast instantly, but from just a simple button press feels like lost potential for a speed that doesn't feel justified because you just have it now. It doesn't feel like it serves a gameplay purpose other than to compensate for the lack of the movement and momentum potential they pursued to an extent in SA 1 and 2. I would have liked to see that really developed, but I don't think they're right for the job if history tells us anything.

[@PostMesmeric]

Yeah, I don't know how the Boost could be refined to make for a better gameplay experience, but like I said, it's a necessary evil. Maybe Sonic Frontiers will change that, but this series is so incredibly unpredictable that I can't help but be curious as to how the next game will play. The Sonic discourse will continue as long as the series itself does, I swear.

[@DesignFrameCaseStudies]

@@james656-k8e Bless your heart

[@jacktwelve1710]

I love this game, it was great 10 years ago and it’s still great today

[@PostMesmeric]

Game really is that awesome, yup.

[@artistanthony1007]

Yeah like a minute of dialogue for every character is phenomenal 😒

[@nave712]

Classic Sonic worked in Generations but in Forces it just felt like they were trying to cater to nostalgia

[@vengeflyking2722]

I do think it’s strange that the remaster doesn’t seem to bring back the once planned adventure Sonic. They could have used Shadow because that’s what he is supposed to play like.

[@PerrydactylShow]

Great video Alex! Really enjoyed this analysis, felt fair while also making it clear that you aren't reviewing this with nostalgia blinders.

[@PostMesmeric]

Thank you kindly, Perry!

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

I was never keen on Classic Sonic in this game, mainly cause he doesn't have the same physics as he did in the Genesis games. Plus Sonic Advance showed us that we can have those physics AND the modern designs and abilities. But it was still nice to see Classic Sonic again this one time. This one time. And there is still some fun to be had messing with his ludicrously overpowered spin dash and bouncing off enemies to reach platforms. Boost was something I was mixed on until I played this game. It really feels like the logical conclusion to the idea of rewarding replayability. The idea that you're not going to "go fast" the first time you play a stage in one of these games and that running headfirst recklessly can get you killed seems to be lost on a lot of Sonic's critics. But once you can get a good idea of a level's layout, and maintain near-constant boost, Modern Sonic's gameplay is a roller coaster ride.

[@Sentay0]

I love Generations but I really wish they chose different levels (Sky Fleet for Heroes, Red Mountain for SA1, Kingdom Valley for 06) there's too many cities and the 06 level is one of the worst levels of that terrible flop.

[@PostMesmeric]

I can see what you mean about Crisis City, but I think that was a level that really stood out in 06. Sega was trying to find the stuff that really represented that game and Crisis City was a stage that I think a lot of people associated with 06, whether intentionally or not. Still, I agree that the city stages definitely felt commanding over more creative settings. Kingdom Valley would've been a cool choice from 06, I gotta say.

[@MontyMoleLoreMaster]

Yeah I do agree, some of the level picks were trash (especially Sky Sanctuary) and we do have way too many grass and city levels.

[@erroneousself6572]

I love Sonic Generations too, but I would’ve loved to see more zones; like 2 zones per game and “bonus zones” wich is just a zone from CD, Shadow and Black Knight.

[@calbeesauce]

Great video as usual loving it

[@PostMesmeric]

I appreciate it. Thank you.

[@DannyCastle-t5j]

Just finished Sonic X Shadow and loved it, but what we really need is a complete Sonic Adventure remake

[@unsureprobablymaybe3527]

Why does sonic's homming attack in generations just kill all your momentum? I hated how it felt and just made me wanna play sa1 and 2 instead

[@sethmushambavanhu8391]

Nice job perfect example of why I love this game especially why no one talks about it cause you can't like about the fact it's really good game

[@PixelPoizon]

Sonic Generations was a pretty good anniversary game, it's probably the game that made me come back to the series after heroes and 06'

[@PostMesmeric]

Didn't like Heroes, huh?

[@PixelPoizon]

@@PostMesmeric ya not a fan of heroes lol

[@Darian610]

How I'd improve the game: Area 1: Classic Era Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) Green Hill Zone Boss: Egg Wrecking Ball Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) Zone 1: Chemical Plant Zone Zone 2: Casino Night Zone Boss: Death Egg Robot Character Rescued: Tails Sonic CD (1993) Zone 1: Collision Chaos Zone 2: Stardust Speedway Boss: Metal Sonic Character Rescued: Amy Rose Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) Zone 1: Ice Cap Zone Zone 2: Sky Sanctuary Zone Boss: Big Arms Character Rescued: Knuckles the Echidna Area 2: Dreamcast Era Sonic Adventure (1998) Zone 1: Windy Valley Zone 2: Speed Highway Boss: Perfect Chaos Character Rescued: Big the Cat Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) Zone 1: City Escape Zone 2: Green Forest Boss: Shadow the Hedgehog Characters Rescued: Rouge the Bat Sonic Heroes (2003) Zone 1: Grand Metropolis Zone 2: Rail Canyon Boss: Egg Emperor Character Rescued: Cream the Rabbit Area 3: Modern Era Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) Zone 1: Crisis City Zone 2: Kingdom Valley Boss: Silver the Hedgehog Character Rescued: Blaze the Cat Sonic Unleashed (2008) Zone 1: Savannah Citadel Zone 2: Rooftop Run Boss: Egg Dragoon Character Rescued: E-123 Omega Sonic Colors (2010) Zone 1: Sweet Mountain Zone 2: Starlight Carnival Boss: Nega Wisp Armor Characters Rescued: Vector, Espio and Charmy Final Boss: Time Eater

[@Junomaster2006]

We need a Sonic Generation 2.

[@PostMesmeric]

We certainly do.

[@RameNoodls]

With no classic sonic just modern sonic going to old places since eggman is there

[@Okeana_Aster]

That game's story is far from perfect, but the references to past games were perfect, and clearly that was the game's main goal. And the cutscene before the final fight (at least the first half with the Eggmans) was really great in terms of comedy in my opinion. I played this game as a kid without knowing about most of the franchise, but I still loved it, and I wish I could play it again now that I know about the franchise. As someone who loves story, I'm a bit disappointed that there isn't more to it. Like, there's a mystery that comes with what the Time Eater is. The game makes pretty clear that it's not Eggman controlling it and... nevermind it is Eggman controlling it. The reveal of past Eggman was cool but I found the whole ending underwhelming even as a kid. The fact that both Eggmans were here should have been revealed at 1/3 or half the game, with them not controlling the Time Eater. And the game should have told us more about the Time Eater. Because like, Eggman found in randomly in space and that's it. Maybe it could have been a remnant of Solaris or something, since it can control space-time. But even though the story is lacking, it does everything else so well that, even if I love good stories, I don't mind it too much here.

[@Jack-nj9pi]

Yeah had no idea the sonic games go this deep in the community. This was hands down my utmost favorite sonic game ever. They hit so many right notes and playing with old and new sonic rocks and the bonus content made me go afyer them

[@PostMesmeric]

The bonus content was cool and showed that Sonic Team were going the extra mile. A lot of meaningful content in Generations, for sure.

[@donew1thita11]

Replaying it right now , can't wait got frontiers

[@ChaoticAvenger]

I personally feel Unleashed’ version of Rooftop Run is superior to Generations Rooftop Run in almost every way. Now, disclaimer, this perspective comes from someone who used the mod “Unleashed Project” which places these daytime levels into Generations and allows you to play them with the more polished and refined boost gameplay of Generations. I think the Unleashed Day Stages are improved in every way by playing them with the Generations Boost Formula. All personal opinions ofc. But I still appreciate Rooftop Run in Generations for what it is. Still a great stage, just more of a remix to the original, but I cannot say it’s superior to the original. But I still stand by Generations as being the best boost platform, and honestly, if there were an unlimited amount of good stage additions and mods, I think I could play it forever. Nothing gives me the thrill the boost feel in generations does. That sense of speed is unmatched.

[@artistanthony1007]

Can you figure out how Sonic's fix time with their speed? Because I cant.

[@BRoboto1]

If I had to hazard a guess as to why Generations isn’t more “remembered” (reeeaally depends on who you talk to. This game is super doted over lately imo). ~ it would be the lack of any memorable story or even an attempt at a story. Granted, tons of people love that about Generations, but evidently not as much as those who celebrate a game like Adventure 2 for actually trying to deliver a compelling narrative; one that also gave us great moments with Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow.

[@PostMesmeric]

That's a good point. The story focus of the Adventure games has had more push behind it, so it's remembered in a different way. Those epic narratives do hold a place in many fans' hearts (myself included, to an extent) and Generations downplaying the story definitely gives it another type of vibe.

[@snakey888]

To be fair, unlike Generations, sa2 falters heavily in regards to gameplay and structure, which makes it a far more controversial game.

[@jaretco6423]

I'm sorry. But while I understand why you think Sonic 3 & Knuckles is better, I can't see why you think Adventure 2 is better than Gens when clearly it's not. Your one of those fanboys that loves it cause of how it impact, despite overlooking it's problems. Like the Mech and shooting fameplay and the level designs being worst than Adventure 1.

[@neb9625]

Sad forces was so inferior to generations