O ápice dos jogos 3D de Sonic, ao menos até aquele momento. Uma verdadeira homenagem ao legado do ouriço azul que é válido até hoje, mantendo a sua magia de recriar cenários tão icônicos dos videogames numa roupagem moderna (para treze anos atrás, e ainda e mantém em 2024).

Pode ser bem curto, mas prefiro uma experiência deliciosa composta por visuais estonteantes, trilha sonora matadora e jogabilidade no ponto — adaptações a parte para o Sonic gordinho —, que uma jornada cansativa, que tenta se prolongar com atividades supérfluas (medalhas do Unleashed, fases fillers do Colors, e por aí vai).

The pinnacle of 3D Sonic games, at least until that moment. A true homage to the legacy of the blue hedgehog that remains valid to this day, retaining its magic of recreating such iconic video game settings in a modern guise (for thirteen years ago, and it still holds up in 2024).

It may be quite short, but I prefer a delightful experience composed of stunning visuals, killer soundtrack, and spot-on gameplay — adaptations for classic Sonic aside — over a tiring journey that tries to extend itself with superfluous activities (Unleashed medals, Colors filler stages, and so on).

A step down from Unleashed in many ways imo, and it feels more like a glorified level pack than a complete package, but I have to stress these levels ARE incredibly strong. The amount of craft put into these stages, both classic and modern, is staggering, you can legitimately play most of these multiple times in a row and take completely different paths every time.

The classic stages do not play like actual Classic Sonic at all, and I have to say I really dislike the way that he’s characterized in this game, but these stages are pretty great regardless. Despite functioning on 2D planes they often make very creative use of a 3D space, and the revamped spin-dash is a ton of fun to make use of in the right spots.

Modern stages are more simplified Unleashed, for better and for worse. The skill requirement and ceiling are just not here like they were before, and the stages aren’t so blisteringly quick, but they’re still pretty great and offer a lot of replayability while being much more accessible. The branching pathways here are really fantastic and add a lot of depth to how these stages play out.

It should also be said that Generations doesn’t do as much with its anniversary concept as it should. The story and writing are extremely subpar, the few character interactions we see are barebones, the hub area is lame, and most glaringly, the game only has two gameplay styles while attempting to pay tribute to three very distinct eras. It draws a harsh divide between Classic and Modern Sonic that doesn’t really make much sense when you look at the history of the series, and has continued to make less and less sense the more time passes since this game has released.

Still though, take this game as a glorified level pack and you’re left with a remarkably solid platformer with two uniquely enjoyable gameplay styles and tons of replayability. A pretty solid celebration of Sonic’s history up to this point that I think does a great job at making new players interested and aware of the series’s past