Sonic Generations 
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One of the few good 3D Sonic games is getting a remaster, with added ShadowJan 31, 2024 - PC Gamert Sony's State of Play event on Wednesday, Sega debuted a trailer for Sonic X Shadow Generations, an updated version of 2011 platformer Sonic Generations. The original game starred Sonic, and also Sonic—the spikier 2000s hedgehog explored 3D levels, while the cuter and squatter '90s mascot version of the character ran through 2.5D stages that were closer in style to the original trilogy of games. It seems to me this updated version should actually be called Sonic X Sonic X Shadow Generations, but unfortunately that's not my call... Read more.Sonic Frontiers & More – On Sale Now!Mar 21, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThe Steam Spring Sale is here! Save big on Sonic Frontiers and other great Sonic titles for a limited time! Sonic Adventure DX – 75% off Sonic Adventure 2 – 75% off Sonic Colors: Ultimate – 30% off Sonic Colors: Ultimate Deluxe Edition – 30% off Sonic Colors: Ultimate – Ultimate Cosmetic Pack – 30% off Sonic Colors: Ultimate – Music Pack – 30% off Sonic Generations Collection - 75% off Sonic Adventure 2: Battle DLC - 75% off Sonic Lost World - 75% off Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection - 75% off Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing - 75% off Sonic Forces – Digital Bonus Edition - 75% off Sonic Mania – 33% off Sonic Mania – Encore DLC – 33% off Team Sonic Racing - 75% off These prices won’t last, so gotta go fast! This first-person Sonic the Hedgehog mod is utterly nauseatingJun 28, 2021 - PC GamerMercifully, Sonic the Hedgehog's 3D outings have always restrained themselves to a third-person view, letting us watch the speedy critter from a comfortable distance. Now, one modder has given us a hedgehog's-eye-view of Sonic Generations thanks to an absolutely vomit-inducing first-person mod... Read more.Have You Played… Sonic Generations?Oct 28, 2020 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time. The first time my friend showed me a blue hedgehog whizzing across the screen from left-to-right, I knew I had to get a Mega Drive. It didn’t stop there, though: I had to read the comics, watch the cartoon, get the toys. Sonic The Hedgehog became a pivotal figure in my life as soon as I laid eyes on him. And then he let me down. (more…) Daily Deal - Sonic Generations Collection, 75% OffJul 29, 2019 - AnnouncementToday's Deal: Save 75% on Sonic Generations Collection!* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Wednesday at 10AM Pacific Time Sonic Generations revisited: better than Forces, runs beautifully on PCJan 21, 2018 - Eurogamer2017 could so easily have been the Year of the Hedgehog thanks to the arrival of two high-profile Sonic releases. It goes without saying that Sonic Mania is something truly special, a brilliant return to classic 2D platforming for the franchise - but on the 3D side of things, Sega came up short. Sonic Forces was a disappointment, a real shame bearing in mind just how good Sonic Generations was - especially on PC. The game has aged remarkably well, has exceptional modding support and runs well and looks wonderful at full 4K on GTX 970-level hardware. Sonic Generations was released on PC back in 2011, a few weeks after the console versions. Unlike those 30fps efforts though, the PC version allows for smooth 60fps gameplay and higher resolutions. It's powered by the Hedgehog Engine and offers visuals that still hold up beautifully even in 2018. Indeed, in our opinion, the sheer quality of workmanship in the visuals makes this game stand up better than its successor. The visual quality stems from a combination of great art direction, an accomplished post-processing pipeline including a soft-focus depth of field and good quality motion blur, detailed models and rich texture work. The star of the show is its solution to global illumination - a feature created for the original Sonic Unleashed, designed to simulate realistic light bounce across these expansive stages. The lighting data is pre-calculated, stored in textures and then streamed in during gameplay while characters are blended into the scene using a technique dubbed 'light field'. For an engine that began development in 2005, it's an impressive achievement. Read more… Casino Night DLC now free for all Sonic Generations ownersSep 29, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsWe are pleased to announce that from this point onwards, the ‘Casino Night’ DLC will be made available to ALL current and future Sonic Generations customers at no additional cost.Casino Night DLC now free for all Sonic Generations ownersSep 29, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsWe are pleased to announce that from this point onwards, the ‘Casino Night’ DLC will be made available to ALL current and future Sonic Generations customers at no additional cost.Humble Sega Bundle expands with Sonic and VikingsDec 3, 2014 - PC Gamer Bloody Hel! Humble's Sega Bundle has updated with a couple of extra games. The already eclectic selection has been bolstered by Sonic Generations and Viking: Battle for Asgard. It continues to be a weird bundle. Sonic Generations was a seemingly celebratory attempt to reconcile Sonic's troubled 3D incarnations with the 2D glory days of the Mega Drive era. It didn't entirely work, but, for better or worse, it's probably one of the best Sonic platformers of recent years. Viking: Battle for Asgard is an entertaining third-person brawler. It's a bit naff, and has atrocious stealth sections, but also lets you thwack hundreds of enemies with axes and stuff. Sometimes that's all you need from a game, and that's okay. Both bonus games are available for those who pay more than the average. It's a strange, eclectic bundle, but there's some good stuff in there. For $3.80 or above, you can get a collection of Dreamcast Games, a Sonic kart racer, Total War: Rome 2 DLC, Football Manager 2015 DLC, Empire: Total War, standalone Company of Heroes 2 multiplayer DLC, a Sonic platformer and a Viking brawler. There's also Shogun 2's standalone expansion available for those who part with $12 or above. Sonic Generations mod adds most levels from console-exclusive Sonic UnleashedMar 20, 2013 - PC Gamer Yes, there's actually a bunch of Sonic games on Steam. They're easy to miss in the piles of other action games, but 2011's Sonic Generations deserves special notice for its thriving mod community. That's right, mods and Sonic is a thing, a pair as expected as hedgehogs and racing. The latest user-generated triumph is the Unleashed Project, a massive port of some of the daytime (read: good) levels from the console-only Sonic Unleashed. The added Unleashed zones stick to the classic Sonic setup of racing blindingly fast along courses while collecting rings, and they thankfully leave behind the horrible Werehog segments and tedious medal collections. As a bonus, everything looks gorgeous on the PC thanks to high-definition textures and an "unleashed" framerate. (I'll get my coat.) Spin-roll over to Mod DB for a lengthy FAQ on what you'll get on downloading the Unleashed Project.The Best Game Music of 2011: Readers' ChoiceDec 30, 2011 - Kotaku We've already recognized a whole bunch of the best game soundtracks of 2011. But of course, there are only so many hours in the day—only so much time to play games, and one can only write about so many game soundtracks. Fortunately, you guys were up to the task of nominating outstanding soundtracks that didn't make our official round-up. On Thursday, you put forth a ton of worthy original soundtracks from the year. I gathered 'em all together and listed them here. As an unscientific aside, if I had to gauge the general tenor, enthusiasm, and number of nominations, Kotaku's "Readers' Choice" Award for Best 2011 Video Game Soundtrack would go to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with Bastion and Xenoblade Chronicles as runners-up. Y'all have good taste. Each of these entries has been written by a Kotaku commenter, sometimes more than one. Let's get down to it, shall we? Xenoblade Chronicles There are two games that make my short list: Xenoblade Chronicles and Radiant Historia. If we are only counting US releases, then I will default to Radiant Historia. I place the Xenoblade OST above Radiant Historia's though. It is not because of the established talent behind it, but rather because of the surprising great work of ACE+. Each piece really brings you into your new environments, and the new battle theme that kicks in some time into the game is just fantastic. This is one song and environment I particularly enjoyed (and it is different from the other tracks usually posted by others and myself). —Dodgewd At least for being released this year in the UK, Xenoblade deserves a call out for contributions from heavyweights like Yasunori Mitsuda and Yoko Shimomura.—Tye The Czar True dat. Some great tracks throughout. This track plays in the first open area you get to explore. It conveys a great sense of freedom, one of the best aspects of Xenoblade from both a gameplay and a JRPG context. The first time I accidentally jumped off a bridge and plummeted hundreds of feet down into the water below, only to find that I could swim around and explore was something special. Even after spending hour 7 in Colony working on sidequest #4563, this track is fresh.—bobtheblob916 "Xenoblade Chronicles". I have played many videogames, among them many JRPGs and as a music hobbyist, if there something that I really appreciate is a soundtrack that helps you immerse in it's game world. "Xenoblade Chronicles" boasts a 4 audio CD soundtrack that manages to mimic the exact feelings of the what's happening on the screen. Beautiful, stunning compositions and I hope this wins next year when the game hits America and you will all see why I am nominating it right here.—Shiryu To The Moon There's a place deep inside me that rarely gets touched, moved. Too much of life is filled with the ordinary and mundane, we are surrounded by it, we choke on it. The moment I heard those first few simple notes I was swept to that place. The music has the ability to make the world...Sonic's Casino Night Pinball Comes to PC on Dec. 26Dec 7, 2011 - KotakuThe "Casino Night Pinball" minigame that console gamers got for preordering the game will be available to PC gamers via Steam on Dec. 26. It'll only run you $1.59 in the U.S. (Overseas, it's £0.99, €1.59, $2.99 in Australia). In the minigame, you play as either classic Sonic or modern Sonic, and he's the pinball. Modern Sonic has a limited number of boosts, but otherwise the two are identical. Sega released these three screenshots with the announcement. Still no word on when or if this will be made available over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. A Look Back at 20 Years of Music History with SonicNov 19, 2011 - Kotaku Masato Nakamura says he composed the remix of Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone theme the way he did the original: By imagining it as a film. The difference is he only had still photographs when he wrote the song 20 years ago. Now for source material has the advantage of full motion video—and, of course, one of video gaming's most iconic pieces of music. Wrapping up a series of vignettes on Sonic's 20th birthday, Sega takes a look at the substantial musical history of its flagship series. I'm not sure I gave the soundtrack in Sonic Generations enough credit; the remixes were very well done, although some of the tunes with vocals (notably City Escape's) had a sugar-pop way of boring into your skull. But in any ranking of contributors to the much loved genre of video game music, Sonic and its artists would have to get a prominent mention. This video gives them a chance to take a bow, so give it a watch. You can contact Owen Good, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page. Wot I Think: Sonic GenerationsNov 16, 2011 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunIn Sonic Generations, the unnatural hedgehog meets his younger, pot-bellied self as Sega attempts to show that it can recapture its old magic, while proving that there’s a place for its blue mascot in the modern world. As the slowest creature on two legs, who dreams nightly of great athletic feats, I am the ideal choice to tell you wot I think of the blue speedster’s latest. (more…) Sonic Generations Update ReleasedNov 11, 2011 - Product UpdateUpdates to Sonic Generations have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include: - USA flag is now correctly displayed in Online Mode. - Fixed an issue where the Shop menu would become unresponsive at low frame rates. - More accurate timing clock to 60Hz—may fix some issues with fluctuant frame rates. - Updated default keyboard layout. - Keyboard controls now correctly support drift. - Screen display has been sharpened when AA is disabled. Notes: - Users of NVIDIA Optimus graphics cards may experience an issue where the Configuration Tool fails to detect the Optimus card. NVIDIA are working on fixing the problem, and will get an update out shortly, during the next driver release window. - If you experience any other problems, please contact [email protected] with details. To help us identify and fix the issue, please provide as much information as possible on your PC hardware, and the issue that you’re experiencing. See How Sonic Started as Sega's Answer to Mickey MouseNov 11, 2011 - Kotaku One thing we need to own up to with all these video game icons coming up on 15, 20 and 25 year anniversaries is that we're getting older, too. Just yesterday, Crecente was talking about all the trouble he has peeing lately. Poor guy. With that aging comes memory loss, so you might need a refresher on how Sega's spiky blue mascot came to be. Or, maybe the young'uns amongst you need to learn it for the first time ever. This video in support of Sonic Generations rounds up the folks who where the creators and decision makers behind Sonic's debut and explains how the speedy icon came into the world. Blast processing! You can contact Evan Narcisse, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page. New Release - Sonic GenerationsNov 3, 2011 - Product ReleaseSonic Generations is Now Available on Steam! The ultimate celebration of 20 Years of Sonic gaming, Sonic Generations delivers the definitive experience for Sonic fans new and old. Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power comes into force, creating ‘time holes’ which take Sonic and his friends back in time. Whilst there, Sonic runs into some very familiar characters from his past including a younger version of himself! Now they must team up to defeat their enemies, save their friends, and find out who is behind this diabolical deed. Sonic Generations Has Game Reviewers Running in CirclesNov 3, 2011 - Kotaku Desperately attempting to please two different sets of fans on Sonic the Hedgehog's 20th anniversary, Sega has crammed two different types of hedgehog gameplay into Sonic Generations, a formula that never fails to create entertaining game reviews. What else can Sega do? Some fans hate 2D Sonic, other fans hate 3D Sonic. They've tried making different games for different fans, but one group or the other always feels alienated, or something isn't quite right, or the stars are knocked out of alignment. They just can't win, so they've just crammed the whole history of the series into one title with two very different types of gameplay and called it a day. Here's your damn Sonic game, thanks for playing. So tell me, assembled video game reviewers, how does that make you feel? Joystiq Revisiting two decades of games, Sonic Generations is pitched as a celebration of Sega's previously pudgy mascot and the timeless appeal of blue skies, checkerboard loops, and things that go "boing." But much like the one Sonic receives in the opening, Generations is closer to a lame birthday party that you attend out of courtesy. That feeling you get from playing every Sonic game after Genesis brews as disappointment and eventually becomes sympathy, mostly for the branded custodians at Sonic Team. They can't seem to please anybody, can they? Oh, Sonic's jumping feels wrong. The momentum is messed up over here. It's about exploration, not speed! Guys, the physics of my anthropomorphic blue hedgehog is inaccurate within this segmented fantasy landscape! Even when they make a game — well, let's say half a game — dedicated to capturing Sonic as he was, before vocal chords and a third dimension, they still can't win. Why? Game Informer The quest begins with side-scrolling tributes to memorable Genesis-era stages as classic Sonic. These levels rekindled the magic of being a wide-eyed kid seeing Sonic's world for the first time. Platforming is slightly tighter than in Sonic 4, which makes landing precise jumps easier. Tearing through loop de loops in Green Hill and bouncing across clouds in Sky Sanctuary are among my favorite Sonic moments, and they translate perfectly. Unfortunately, the good times fade when Sonic begins cruising through 2D versions of levels from post-Dreamcast Sonic games. Traversing the burning ruins of Crisis City from the awful 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog reboot is an exercise in frustration packed with unfair drop-offs and annoying gales. Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) The 2D levels feel as close to the original Genesis games as ever, and their use of old-school moves and physics was a smart call. But even the 3D takes on Sonic's oeuvre do the franchise justice, as they avoid most camera-based frustrations of early 3D editions. The two takes on nine different stages actually benefit from being based on the same template: seeing a 2D version of a modern enemy or hearing an updated version of Green Hill Zone's iconic theme makes you want to try ...Run Green Hill Zone in Under 1:50 and Collect Some Nice Sonic MerchNov 2, 2011 - KotakuEarlier today I was wondering what qualified me to review Sonic Generations, beyond my capacity for saying "god dammit." Yet after a solid 24 hours with this game not only are my eyeballs properly tracking its sidescrolling motion, I've recovered my innate understanding of the technical requirements of a solid speed-run through a Sonic world. Sega is looking to reward that with a speed-run contest through the 3D version of Green Hill Zone in Sonic Generations, and you don't even need a full copy of the game to participate. Just go get the game's demo, and then practice, practice, practice (and say goddammit, goddammit, goddammit) until you get that time below 1:50. The video above (which is fun to watch even if you don't have the game) breaks down the optimal path with protips to help you get it perfect, but it still looks like it will take a lot of patience, practice and retries. Capture your performance, upload it to YouTube, and you'll be eligible for some Sonic-themed prizes from Sega, but the bragging rights are the real reward. See the link for details and rules. The contest is open from today until Nov. 9. Speed Your Way Through Green Hill for a Chance to Win! You can contact Owen Good, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page. Pre-Load Sonic Generations Now!Nov 2, 2011 - AnnouncementPre-Load Sonic Generations now and be ready to play when it releases!
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