by: Ramsey

Okay so updating every Friday burned me out, as I feared it would. Let's see if every other Friday works better.

Sonic the Hedgehog has undergone many changes throughout the years. In the interim he's been joined by numerous other anthropomorphic speedy animals, changed villains, and added an extra dimension of space. By now, we can pretty much all agree that whether we like them or not, the 3D Sonic games have just not held the power of earlier 2D Sonic games. Apparently somewhat willing to admit this, Sega has continued a stream of 2D outings, from the particularly enjoyable Sonic Advance games, to the recent Sonic "4," and even the 2D/3D mixes available on the Nintendo DS in the form of Sonic Rush or Sonic Colors. Now we have Sonic: Generations coming out, that from the early looks, will have both 3D levels and 2D levels, utilizing "different" Sonics in the different levels.

It feels early for the Antiverse to be talking about this game, but I've already seen some speculation, and I'm worried that people will draw poor conclusions based on misinformation or ignorance.

Sonic being 3D is not inherently bad. The problem isn't Sonic being in 3D, the problem is that Sega attempted to extend game length by incorporating extensive sections of random crap. Sonic is at its best, though, when it's a high octane rush through uniquely designed landscapes of loop-d-loops, ramps, and pitfalls. This is what people play Sonic games for, and this is what they want to see. Strange puzzles and awkward platforming sections that require careful movements just detract from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Even the boss fights can slow the game to an annoying halt, but removing them might just be odd. I'd like to repeat the face that the game being 3D does not mean it is bad. If done right, the 3D games can be every bit as enjoyable as the 2D ones, maybe even more so. They just haven't been done right. Maybe this game will bring change?

In the same vein, I've seen people pining for the game only consisting of Sonic, none of his friends. Again, I have to point out that the other characters are not bad in and of themselves. It's the way they have been handled. In Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, the other characters played through the same levels as Sonic, and thus the game for each character consisted of the same high speed runs no matter which character you were playing as. But each character had some unique ability that made the gameplay just slightly a different experience, and so you were able to choose just which set of abilities you preferred and stick with that character.

This is something I think they should consider for Sonic: Generations. Maybe only having one storyline - requiring only one trip through each level ever (though you can return to find secrets maybe) - but having a vast list of playable characters including ALL of Sonic's varied friends. Each might have some unique ability to make playing them different, just as long as you are not required to go through the levels as each of them. Maybe even require to complete a level as Sonic before you can play as one of his friends. Also, in the vein of having different Sonics for the different 2D or 3D levels, they could have different side characters for the different dimensions, with certain characters having abilities that might specifically work only in that dimension (i.e. Tails only being available in 2D so his flying abilities don't break the game, and Knuckles being only available in 3D so his gliding ability can help you deal with the occasional miss-jump).

At this point, almost nothing about this game can be anything more than speculation. Personally, I remain hopeful, but trying to praise or tear down the game at this point is pointless. Feel free to speculate, just remember not to form an opinion based on anyone's speculations.