Sonic Generations

If your reading this review for this particular product then I'll have to assume your a huge sonic fan, otherwise the price tag for this collector's boxset must seem quite silly. So what do you get if you opt for this package?

1) The Game
Sonic Generations game WITH casino night zone DLC. In this boxset the game comes packed in a "lenticular" case which is a sort of "3d hologram" that changes from classic to modern sonic when you move the box. A nice touch and really does make the game look something special. As for the game itself is all very good fun - there are loads of reviews out there by gaming pro's which can offer better reviews on it that I can, but from my point of view the game is great....and that's its problem too. Its just "great" and not "outstanding" or "excellent". The graphics are very nice, the music is superb and the gameplay (both in the 2d and 3d) is good too, however its the level design of the later levels, a lack of proper story, along with the unbeliveibly short amount of stages in the main game itself which really let this game down....its all over far too quickly. (about 4/5 hrs max). Sonic Team have tried to pad out the length by putting extra challanges in after you complete a level. Some of these chllaenges are pretty good such as trying to race Tails, or survive a level with only 1 ring, but to be honest most of these challnges are not much fun at all and are just outright silly - such as one challenge where Sonic has to "use" Rouge (pimping?!) to distract eggrobos so you can bash them and move on. Overall, while the game is fun and has lots of nostalgic moments, it sadly lacks that killer punch that would make it a truly classic game.

Score 4/5

2) Casino Night Zone DLC

The Casino night zone DLC is a mild amusment- its not a proper level but simply an electonic pinball machine that's quite similar to the pinball table in Sonic Adventure's Casino Park in regards to gameplay. Ok for free, but otherwise not much too it...not even a ranking based on score!

Score 3/5

3)Art book

The Art book is a hardcover book with lots of concept art from sonic's history. It contains the cover art from loads of the sonic games, alongside character drawings, the original drawings for Sonic, Robotnik (or Eggman for those new to sonic franchise after 1998!)and the abandoned girlfirend "madonna". Apart from the usual publishing info at the start of the book, there's no text at all in the book to explain the pictures or provide them with any context; and like the game the book is very pretty but also very short!

Score 3.5 /5

Documentary dvd

The documantary dvd is region free, and is ok. lots of interviews, archive footage abd clips, and yes lots of subtitles too. Its basically Sonic Team running through the history of sonic from original ideas up to the present game. To be honest its all a bit self congratulatory, and its doesn't really explain or acknowelge the slip ups that they've had along the way (Sonic 06 for example!) Its like the bonus dvds you get with cds...worth a watch once, but not essential viewing after that.

Socre 3/5

Music CD

The music cd in this boxset is not actually the soundtrack to the game!! Its rather a compilation of tracks "hand picked" (or so is the claim!) by sonic team from all of the sonic games since 1991. However, very much absent is ANY music from the sonic 1 and sonic 2 (copyright laws prevented this aparently). So what you get basically is a 25 track cd that opens with the "sega" call and then its 1 track per game from sonic 3 through to Sonic Colours. Stand outs for me are: Angel Island Act 1, Mushroom hill Act 1, Splash Hill zone Act 1, Palmtree panic (present), Escape from the city, and Water's edge. There really is some great music on this, and I just wish it could have been a double cd as there is still so much missing from it(Starlight speedway, Icecap, Green hill, etc) but its a well put together cd. Also, if I'm being critical what they should have done is to have included the soundtrack to THIS game, not this compilation!

Score 4/5

Gold ring
Yes, you get a numbered gold ring moulded to the syle as seen in the game!! It comes in a plastic "dome" case that has the Sonic 20th and Sonic Generations logo on it, and the ring can easilly be taken out of this "dome if you want to. The ring itself is solid, I think its brass, with a gold coating on it. A nice touch...inoffenisve but pointless at the same time.

Score 3.5 /5

Statue

From the pictures you can see that the statue has both modern and classic sonic standing on a gold ring in the trademark finger wagging pose. The gold ring base has the Sonic Genrations logo on it and the whole thing is made from plastic. Both sonics are solid, non moveable, and are "tacked" in to the base via holes in their shoes which go on top of the "spikes" on the base. Its a pretty cheap way to do it, and my classic sonic was quite loose when i recived it, but once you get the sonic back on to the ring they stand solidly. If you wanted to put glue in the holes to make it extra sturdy then this too is an option for you. The quality of the plasic is good - not excellent or high quality by any means but soild, and the statue really does look far better "in the flesh" than it does in the product photo!!

Score 4.5 /5

The box iteslf

The presentaion box is massive, far biggeer than it looks in the photo. Its very, very sturdy and is very well designed. Each part of this set has its own little compartment within the box where each product fits exactly for its own protection. The box also comes with a removable outer plastic "sleeve" with the gaming details / blurb on which also helps protect the box itself from the elements / scuffs - a good thing considering its white!!

Score 5/5

Overall: A really nice boxset with some very nice extras, a few pointless extas (the ring, dvd) and an enjoyable game. If your a sonic fan and you can get this for a reasonable price then you really should get this set without any hesitation...however, I would say don't pay over the odds for it (certainly no three figure sums!) as, like the game itself this boxset is very good, but lacking that killer blow to make it something really, really special!

I have been a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog since his original debut on the Sega Mega Drive. This is a great return to form.

Having played every major release in the 20 years since his beginning in 1991, this is an excellent homage to decades past. Everything still manages to feel new and fresh. There is little story to speak of, though who plays a sonic game for the story?

It's the gameplay that is fun, and the 2D/3D split acts carry the game very well. It doesn't feel as stop/start as one might think when considering the speed differences of the different styles of play. Instead, you recieve an excellent mix of gameplay.

The franchise has taken a dip in quality, what with "Sonic 2006" and the panned "Werehog" sections of "Sonic Unleashed". As well as this, the previously released "Sonic 4: Episode 1" developed by Dimps on behalf of Sonic Team had incredibly poor physics. This all seems forgotten in the great Sonic Generations, which is for the better.

Excellent gameplay
Excellent music

All round fun!