So... How is it? (I don't give a damn about the censorship.)

[bro what?]

Gameplay wise, how is the game? Is it a complete scam like I suspected, or does it actually hold up?

How well does shadow's weird goopy devil power work, How's the FPS, Are there any game play changes I should be concerned about, etc etc?

i just want to make sure I'm putting my money into a good experience. And in order to that, it's best to be a skeptic and ask people about things before buying.

Please, if anybody can, resist the urge to bring up the censorship. I don't really care that much. All I'll say is that I've seen the replacement diologue for knuckle's fat joke, and all I'll say about it is that he could've at least NOT have said the line like a Dora the explorer character.

[Mez Koo]

Sonic Generations remains S-Tier game and got some new collectibles in stages.
Shadow actually got meaningful story
Shadow gets a hub world that plays like a Sonic Frontiers island
Shadow's (act 1) stages play like a hybrid between adventure and frontiers style boost
Shadow's stages are long and have multiple routes
Doom powers change up the pace of the game and aren't overly forced and start to feel gimmicky
Sonic Generations fps remains at 60 fps but Shadow can go up to 120.

[Certified Idiot]

In terms of quality, the Shadow Generations portion of it pretty much blows any other recent Sonic title out of the water if you ask me. I don't think I've enjoyed playing a sonic team game this much since...maybe the adventure games on the dreamcast? I know a lot of people say Unleashed is supposed to be up there as the best 3d game, but being on PC I haven't played that, so I can't comment.

In terms of length and how much content you're getting from shadow's side: It has 6 stages (same 2 act format) compared to Sonic's 9, but it does also have all the extra side challenges and collectibles/unlocks much like Sonic Generations. All together, I'd say Shadow Generations is probably about 2/3's the size of Sonic Generations? Also, Shadow's stages are a lot longer and more open & varied. Clearly more effort was put into the level design for each stage.

It's worth mentioning that the two titles are running on completely separate engines. Sonic Generations runs on the 'Hedgehog engine' (used for Unleashed), while Shadow Generations is using the 'Hedgehog Engine 2' (Frontiers), because of the foundation they're each built from they play completely differently.

Regarding the Doom Powers, I think they're done pretty well? They don't feel like gimmicks that interrupt your flow or anything, they're actually integrated into the levels pretty seamlessly. The only power that's maybe controversial is the Doom Wings? They're unlocked near the end of the game and are basically Shadow's equivalent to a Super Sonic form. It can allow you to skip entire sections of stages, that being said there's an option to have the doom wings enabled/disabled for each stage with scores/times recorded for each separately.

The FPS is also fine for me. From what I've read the optimisation isn't that bad. If they got it to run at 30fps on switch (with modders even unlocking it to an unsteady 60) then I'd assume it's not too taxing. I run it at 1440p 120fps myself and have not had a single fps drop, but then I am on an rtx 4080 super, so I'd be pretty worried if I was getting huge drops.

Personally, I didn't regret paying the full price for it but 'your mileage may vary' and all that. If you're only playing it for Shadow's side and rushing through it all without caring about any of the extras it's going to be a pretty short experience of <6 hours. I was enjoying it enough that I went for a 100% complete run, and I'd say that took me a little over 20 hours? Then you also have to remember that there's an entire other game bundled with it.

edit:
Here's a gameplay example of Shadow Generations' first level to give you a rough idea of how it plays (despite being from gamespot, the gameplay is actually not that bad):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKODf3Dza8E

[Sega Saga]

AMAZING

[NBOX21]

Do you already have the 2011 version of Sonic Generations? I'd day wait for a sale before picking this up, as while the Sonic Generations remaster is good and adds a few QoL additions not present in the original game (3 save slots is always welcome) the changes aren't substantial enough to make up for the price tag, even for as much as Shadow Generations is well worth playing.

Have you never bought this game before? In that case, it's well worth the asking price. You're getting IMO the definitive version of Sonic Generations and a brand new game, Shadow Generations, included in the same package and both represent some of the best 3D gameplay this series has to offer.

[o_O]

If you like boost Sonic gameplay, Shadow's campaign is probably the highest quality game Sega has made in that style. It only takes around 4 hours to complete, so I would wait for a sale if you've already played Generations. Shadow's campaign looks good, runs good, and controls well, but it's not a full length game.

I ended up refunding since I don't enjoy boost gameplay very much, and I already own Generations.

Both games suffer from some annoying design decisions; half of the levels are boring 2D stages, and progression is often locked behind "challenge" stages that you're required to play in order to unlock the next area. Level design is also very linear and restrictive, but some people are OK with that.

I didn't spend much time with this version of Generations, so I can't speak to how well it runs compared to the original. The game is still capped at 60FPS, but Shadow's campaign can run at 120FPS.

[knight_of_kanto]

Game still has Denuvo. Nuff said.

Get it elsewhere and for much cheaper, cuz it’s not worth full price.

Unless you have OG Gens already, then stick with that and simply mod Shadow into that game or something.

[Sayo]

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

Sonic Generations remains S-Tier game and got some new collectibles in stages.
Shadow actually got meaningful story
Shadow gets a hub world that plays like a Sonic Frontiers island
Shadow's (act 1) stages play like a hybrid between adventure and frontiers style boost
Shadow's stages are long and have multiple routes
Doom powers change up the pace of the game and aren't overly forced and start to feel gimmicky
Sonic Generations fps remains at 60 fps but Shadow can go up to 120.

Seconding this. Probably one of the best sonic games in a long time. I especially love how Shadow plays and the story he got.

[Allard]

Originally posted by Gilbert's gaming shack(F2P):

Gameplay wise, how is the game?

Sonic Gens is the same as you remember it from 2011, just without the lives system (can be toggled back on) and with pointless new collectibles (can be ignored).

Shadow Gens is... my new favorite Sonic game. All six levels are bangers, all four bosses are fun, the abilities are far better integrated into the core gameplay than any of the previous attempts (they don't grind everything to a halt like wisps, for instance), the hub world is like an open zone from Frontiers, but better (it's smaller, it doesn't look like a regular landscape someone put a bunch of rail grinds and boosters into, the design isn't annoying and it's chock full of stuff to find, be it chests that can be unlocked with keys you find in the levels or mini-challenges; exploring it is a ton of fun on its own). Overall a great package. Can't wait for the 7th level DLC that's set to release a month from now. Got all the achievements too.

As pointed above, Sonic Gens is locked at 60, Shadow Gens can go up to 120 FPS.

[DJsquare3 (Nebula)]

I just 100% the game on both Sonic and Shadows side. This is the best sonic experience to date hands down.
The Sonic half is almost identical with some small changes you can completely ignore, but Shadows campaign is peak. Worth it for that alone.