In case you somehow missed it, 2024 is the year of 'Shadow the Hedgehog' - with his live-action movie debut scheduled for December, and a new game chapter now available as part of Sonic X Shadow Generations. To reiterate, you’re not only getting a remaster of 2011's Sonic Generations, but also included is an entirely new story starring the ultimate lifeform.
This new campaign follows a similar formula to the original Generations, where you’ll speed through iconic Sonic stages (this time based on Shadow’s history) and engage in some hectic boss battles. Just like Sonic’s segment of this collection, each stage is broken up into two acts - one act channels the series’ 3D era and the other takes inspiration from the blue blur's side-scrolling roots.
Shadow Generations is mostly the same design - only the hub world (known as ‘White Space’) where you access levels, is now a 3D environment. According to Sega, it's inspired by the "open-zone" gameplay of Sonic Frontiers.
If we're being honest, this area seems more comparable to Nintendo’s Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, which also happened to be made up of an original game with an additional campaign tacked onto it (and by no means is this a bad thing). As you progress in Sonic X Shadow Generations, you’ll also unlock special 'Doom Powers' for Shadow - enabling new moves like gliding across the water in this zone, which to us was also reminiscent of the main area in Bowser's Fury. The hub upgrade might not necessarily sound like a big deal, but it makes Shadow’s campaign feel extra special.
In this zone — that evolves as you progress — you can also discover collectibles (like artwork and music), hone your platforming skills and unlock new powers to open up more of this area. Along the way. you'll encounter familiar faces like Rouge the Bat, which all ties into the game’s story. Again, it will be familiar if you've already played Sonic Generations – just that the space is now in 3D and a little more fleshed out.
Like Sonic’s story, to progress further you’ll need to complete both acts in each stage and then beat a bunch of bonus levels to unlock keys - which open gates and allow you to challenge various bosses. Returning players should know exactly what they're signing up for here.
As for the actual levels in Shadow's story, they’re all inspired by the character's past. The story brings Maria and her grandfather Dr. Gerald into the picture, with Shadow tasked to take down his old foe: Black Doom. This takes the player on a literal generational journey throughout Shadow’s history, and you’re going to see locations and themes from past Sonic games as well as more recent releases - supported by a fitting soundtrack.
The level design in Shadow's story feels like a step up from Sonic's Generations campaign - which has naturally aged in 2024. Each act in Shadow Generations has a mix of speed and platforming segments, and Shadow is also loaded with powers like Chaos Control (which can be used to slow time to deal with opponents and overcome challenges), adding some extra depth to gameplay. The modern 3D-style levels feel particularly fun, and the challenge stages might even put some of your platforming skills to the test.
The boss battles — also channelling Shadow's past — are just as entertaining. You’ll take on all sorts of enemies here, and this is all mixed in with some story cinematics - including encounters with characters like... spoiler alert... Sonic, as Shadow’s own story runs parallel to the main game. In terms of graphics and performance, Sonic X Shadow Generations ran well during our time with the Xbox Series X build, and we had no issues to make note of.
Shadow's portion of the game already feels quite satisfying as a standalone product here, and the addition of a remastered version of Sonic Generations makes it even better. This modern version of the original game is also an improvement from a visual standpoint, and includes new features like the drop dash ability for Classic Sonic, “reworked” cinematics, additional bonus content and more. There is a small amount of content locked off to select versions of the game though, so that's something to keep in mind.
Conclusion
Shadow's latest chapter is arguably his best video game outing yet and easily the definitive experience in Sonic X Shadow Generations. The remaster of Sonic's existing campaign tops it all off, even if it has aged a bit in 2024. Fans of the ultimate lifeform (and the blue blur) should have a blast with this one.
Comments 27
Got it yesterday and yeah, the "remastered" Sonic Generations is almost the same game as the backwards compatible XBox 360 classic.
I guess that's why they deleted it before release.
@Nintendo4Sonic if any dev says it's a remaster, I don't expect the level of The Last of Us, but come on, Saints Row 3 remaster level of improvement minimum.
I will be getting this for Xmas present I just got fc25 WWE 24 Turok 3 shadow of oblivion. all on my sexy box X💚💚💚
I wanted to like Generations more. But it has all the issues 3D Sonic games have had since Adventure. I won't bother with this.
I don't really see a reason for why I should get this when I already have the original X360 version(which plays like a dream on Series X).
Like...I personally don't care about the Shadow stuff enough to pay full price.
Now, if they had sold the Shadow stuff as a standalone release at half the price, I would have been more inclined to buy that.
Sonic Generations is the best Sonic 3D game and it's 4K60FPS on Series X. This remaster shows a indiscernible graphical update and has been ridiculously and cheaply censored, with animations not matching the new sterilised dialogue, so its only value is the added campaign.
@Arkz is Frontiers worth it?
@Lrapsody Sonic Frontiers is awesome in terms of gameplay, camera and story; it just lacks some more Sonic flavour. It seems that the next Sonic 3D game will be awesome based on what they have achieved with Sonic Frontiers. Fingers crossed.
@Lrapsody yeah, the Saints Row 3 Remaster is superb.
@Lrapsody If you're a big sonic fan, then yes. Otherwise I think it's just ok. People have been desperate for a good 3D sonic for so long I think they're quite forgiving for a lot of the games issues. Still if you can get it for a decent price, or try before you buy, you'll at least get a feel for it.
I'll get it someday when it reaches the $10-20 point. Do the 4Kids tier changes really affect anything? Not really, you're here for the gameplay. But as a celebration of the series a lot of the changes remove little call backs or jabs at the IP, so why even have the cutscenes to begin with? It's probably a better experience if you just skip them. Don't be the frog in the pot and be okay with these changes before it's too late and you're boiling.
It’s on my wishlist, I’ll definitely get around to it at some point. I enjoyed the original Generations. Just trying to shrink the backlog currently rather than grow it even more.
Kind of shocked to see a Sonic game review well. I feel deprived of anything to make fun of to alleviate my sorrow.
Still have my 360 copy of the original Generations and it's installed on my Series X but I bought the remaster anyway, mainly for the Shadow content. I'd agree with some people here, though, if you're content with the original this isn't really worth it unless Shadow is among your favorite characters in the series.
I also think any XSX owner who hasn't played Generations and was interested in this for the remaster, it's best to try and hunt down a 360 copy because it plays and looks like a dream with the current hardware upgrades and doesn't have the moronic 'modern audience' changes.
@Banjo- Censoring aside though. The added Shadow campaign is awesome and worth a go from what I have played of it so far.
It's gonna be one of those isn't it. If you have played Generations to death previously it'll be hard to justify the upgrade I guess. I had a gift card to use so didn't drop cash on it but I am enjoying the Shadow content immensely.
Can't understand how this game is reviewing better than the original from 13 years ago..
It's the same game but now censored (they covered up the bats boobies)
3D Sonic is the very definition of style over substance, or as to quote Jeff Gerstman: "Sonic Generations is a garbage game for idiots"
Someone is buying Series Xs 😂...there was only ONE copy left in the Series X section at Walmart 😂
I really don’t understand the complaints about the censorship when it’s so minor most people won’t even notice it. I wouldn’t even call it censorship, it’s just changes to the dialogue.
@Jaxx420 I hear you. I got 100% in Sonic Generations and still replay the acts. I will get this new version someday, for Shadow's campaign. Is it a separate part in the menu?
@dreadful Not just that, they censored Knuckles joking about classic Sonic's rounder figure (a funny joke after travelling in time), Sonic trying to get rid of Amy... Besides, the animations now don't match the inert dialogue. This is unnecessary and ridiculous.
@Banjo- Yeah on the main menu just gives the option to switch between Sonic and Shadow campaigns.
The Sonic Generations inside has a few bugs, that's really a shame, since almost a 1:1 port from the 360 version running on higher hardware.
@Lrapsody I personally did not like frontiers. It is very bland open world, kind of aimless, not much fun
So I assume that the Series S version is on par with the others?
@Reptilio Got it for Switch...thought it was kinda lazy...
I'm still sporadically cackling at Jeff Gerstmann calling the original game a "piece of sh*t garbage game for idiots" last week.
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