Sonic Generations + Bowser's Fury

[gruglas]

Sonic x Shadow Generations was one of my most anticipated games this year, however SEGA found a way to disappoint yet again. Despite receiving critical acclaim, Shadow Generations is little more than a ploy to get ignorant consumers to buy Sonic Generations again for full price. I can just imagine the SEGA executives sitting at a table trying to think of the best way to scam their fans out of $50. Shadow Generations clocks in at just under 3 hours, despite being advertised as a completely new game; just as long as the original Generations. The game only has 6 levels, 5 of which have the 2nd act ENTIRELY in 2D, this is confusing because the final level’s 2nd act is a 3D level. Why they thought it would be a good idea to give Shadow stages a “Classic Act” when Classic Shadow doesn’t exist is beyond me. The classic sonic stages existed to recreate classic and modern stages as classic sonic stages, since there is no Classic Shadow the 2D levels have no place. All of this just further proves how they cut corners in every possible way for this release.

Although the game is less than 3 hours to complete, the game is still full to the brim with filler content. Player’s are required to backtrack through the Open-Zone hub ripped straight out of Frontiers. Somehow they thought people actually LIKED this horrible excuse for an open world. The hub is just as nonsensically designed as Frontiers, with springs that shoot you in any which way and floating platforms everywhere. Everytime the player has to fight a boss they must collect 3 keys to fight the boss. This means the player has to play SIX filler challenge missions that completely break the flow of the game. The stages themselves feel closer to Frontiers cyber space than Generations levels, with random generic assets and linear platforming paths everywhere. One thing SEGA did right this time was adding branching paths to each level, this is definitely worth commending however the negatives far outweigh the positives this time around.

This game hardly even feels like a “Shadow” game, there are many forced references to Shadow’s past that really just feels like the developers didn’t play the original games. This is further proven by the lack of a stage from Shadow’s OWN GAME. Yes that’s right! There isn’t a single stage from the original Shadow the Hedgehog 2005. Sure there is the space colony ark, however this stage has more in common with the SA2 version; having the same level gimmicks and general layouts. Instead of including a level from Shadow the Hedgehog they decided it would be great to have a Sonic Frontiers level, you know the game Shadow ISN’T EVEN IN! This just further connects this game to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that is Frontiers. SEGA cut corners in every possible way with this release, even the music isn’t that great. Fan favorite tracks like supporting me have been gutted of their lyrics and All Hail Shadow just has a lazy orchestral remix in the final boss. That brings me to my next point, the final boss is just lame. Not only did they not include “I am all of me” as the theme but it just flat out isn’t used in the game at all besides extra content.

Even super shadow doesn’t make an appearance in this game. Instead they opt to give Shadow random gimmicky powers that are both unintuitive to use and feel completely alien to Shadow’s identity. Every power besides the wings are used in near-scripted scenarios where the player must use the power or they cannot progress. This came to a head when I reached the gate to the 2nd boss, since the game is so short and I hadn’t yet been accustomed to the powers yet; since frankly the game never demonstrated them in an intuitive way; I had no idea how to open the gate. I ended up just waffling around the hub world for 30 minutes until I finally noticed the buttons you’re supposed to hit with the demon spears.

While being a more personal, subjective complaint, I really don’t like how the true ending of Shadow the Hedgehog is 100% canon now. None of the games ever fully acknowledged whether or not Shadow the Hedgehog was canon, leaving freedom of interpretation for which ending the player liked the most. Now Shadow is reduced to nothing more than a generic anti-hero Vegeta clone and I hate it. Not only that but Black Doom is also reduced to a generic antagonist, his speeches to Shadow during this game serve no purpose because the player no longer has the option to side with him. I hate when games do this in the first place, why even bother?


As a massive fan of the original Shadow the Hedgehog game from 2005 I was completely let down with this “celebration” of Shadow’s past. This game is comparable to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, a short campaign that doesn’t stand on its own at all. If you were considering buying Sonic x Shadow Generations just to play the Shadow campaign then you will be disappointed. Once again the 3D stages ARE good; however, it isn’t enough to justify buying Sonic Generations again at full price. I can only hope that this game's success causes SEGA to create a real Shadow game instead of this Forces/Frontiers tech demo.

Full video review:
https://youtu.be/4RpeDnogI-k?si=W4y645OZz12Nb8K1

[ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by Verax:

Literally every Sonic game can be beaten in a matter of hours, probably less if you're a perfect speedrunner.

Or... just good at the game? I beat this in less than 4 hours, and I was slow lmao

Missing the point. Sonic games are mostly about replayability

[Verax]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by Verax:

Literally every Sonic game can be beaten in a matter of hours, probably less if you're a perfect speedrunner.

Or... just good at the game? I beat this in less than 4 hours, and I was slow lmao

If you'd been really good then you probably could've beaten it under 2 hours. I'm not rushing but I haven't gotten stuck so... idk. Point is, playing the game at a chill pace I've gotten 4 hours out of the game and am still getting more so idk what I should be dissatisfied with. Literally criticizing any Sonic game for being short is like having amnesia about the length of Sonic games.

[Verax]

You paid the cheap entry price for one whole game, and got a remake included with it.

[Titan]

Originally posted by Children of the Omnissiah:

Originally posted by Titan:

Yeah lots of people complaining that you can beat the game in 2-3 hours if you just rush through all the main acts once as if that isn't exactly the case with OG generations. Both games are short individual playthroughs extended by collectibles and great replayablity.

I did not pay this amount of sonic generations, sonic generations is also it's own product and not an expansion of another.

This game isn't an expansion of another. Shadow Generations is an entirely new game, with entirely new gameplay and content. You just get a copy of the Sonic Generations remaster packaged with it. And also yeah, if you bought Sonic Generations at release you did pay this price for it too.

[Kibōchen]

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Missing the point. Sonic games are mostly about replayability

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

[Verax]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Missing the point. Sonic games are mostly about replayability

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

Sonic Frontiers might be the longest Sonic game though lmao. I don't even think either Adventure or Adventure 2 were longer. The only Sonic games I missed were the worst ones for the most part-- so if I'm missing another long one, it's because it sucked.

[ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Missing the point. Sonic games are mostly about replayability

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

Frontiers is also not nearly as good as this game. Not even close. The open zone is so much better, 2d levels actually feel fast and not like you're moving underwater.

[Kibōchen]

Originally posted by Verax:

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

Sonic Frontiers might be the longest Sonic game though lmao. I don't even think either Adventure or Adventure 2 were longer. The only Sonic games I missed were the worst ones for the most part-- so if I'm missing another long one, it's because it sucked.

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 both take 9 hours[howlongtobeat.com], which is fine. As long as I don't wait a year just to play the game and finish it in a single sitting, I can't complain. Sonic Unleashed and Heroes were actually longer at 13 and 12 hours respectively, so I guess they sucked.

[Verax]

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

Frontiers is also not nearly as good as this game. Not even close. The open zone is so much better, 2d levels actually feel fast and not like you're moving underwater.

+1 on Shadow Gen 3d controls and open zone feel much better than Sonic Frontiers. I literally played them both today just to compare, so I can say for sure I prefer Shadow. My only complaint is can't bind certain keys and I don't like when devs do that.

[Verax]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by Verax:

Sonic Frontiers might be the longest Sonic game though lmao. I don't even think either Adventure or Adventure 2 were longer. The only Sonic games I missed were the worst ones for the most part-- so if I'm missing another long one, it's because it sucked.

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 both take 9 hours[howlongtobeat.com], which is fine. Sonic Unleashed and Heroes were actually longer at 13 and 12 hours respectively, so I guess they sucked.

Unleashed definitely. Heroes looked better and was received better but I never got my hands on that one. But I passed on Unleashed with no regrets. Best Sonic games were by far Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic 3&Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Adventure 2. Then as far as console titles went (excluding the gameboy advanced Sonic games) there was a long drought where most Sonic games by comparison were just awful and that's not really that much of a debate, even Sonic fans all admit the series had been down bad for a while. Don't even pretend like it wasn't like that lol. Either that or you're literally like 13 and don't remember that far.

[Kibōchen]

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Bull roar. You can have replay-ability and still be longer than 4 hours. Mate, Sonic Frontiers was 16 hours long.

Frontiers is also not nearly as good as this game. Not even close. The open zone is so much better, 2d levels actually feel fast and not like you're moving underwater.

What does Frontiers not being good have to do with this? We're talking about the length of Sonic games, not the games themselves.

[ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Frontiers is also not nearly as good as this game. Not even close. The open zone is so much better, 2d levels actually feel fast and not like you're moving underwater.

What does Frontiers not being good have to do with this? We're talking about the length of Sonic games, not the games themselves.

What does it matter if it's longer if it's not enjoyable?

[Verax]

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

Frontiers is also not nearly as good as this game. Not even close. The open zone is so much better, 2d levels actually feel fast and not like you're moving underwater.

What does Frontiers not being good have to do with this? We're talking about the length of Sonic games, not the games themselves.

So people like the shorter game more than the longer one, from the sound of it.

[Kibōchen]

Originally posted by Verax:

Originally posted by Kibōchen:

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 both take 9 hours[howlongtobeat.com], which is fine. Sonic Unleashed and Heroes were actually longer at 13 and 12 hours respectively, so I guess they sucked.

Unleashed definitely. Heroes looked better and was received better but I never got my hands on that one. But I passed on Unleashed with no regrets. Best Sonic games were by far Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic 3&Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Adventure 2. Then as far as console titles went (excluding the gameboy advanced Sonic games) there was a long drought where most Sonic games by comparison were just awful and that's not really that much of a debate, even Sonic fans all admit the series had been down bad for a while. Don't even pretend like it wasn't like that lol. Either that or you're literally like 13 and don't remember that far.

Ad homs, that's cute. At least I figured out the kind of Sonic fan you are judging from the games you just listed

[Kibōchen]

Originally posted by ｃｏｏｌｄｏｗｎ:

What does it matter if it's longer if it's not enjoyable?

Originally posted by Verax:

So people like the shorter game more than the longer one, from the sound of it.

And yet you say Sonic Heroes was received well despite being nearly as long as Frontiers.