Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations
Distributed by	Disney Channel
Directed by	Akinori Nishiyama
Starring	Roger Craig Smith Kate Higgins Kent Hampton Cindy Robinson Kirk Thornton Karen Strassman
Production company	Sega Sonic Team
Country	United States
Language	English
Release date	November 11, 2011
Running time	80 minutes
Preceded by	Sonic Riders 3: Freedom Riders

Sonic Generations is an upcoming 2011 film in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, currently in production by Sonic Team. It celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game and will be released by Sega on November 11, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu Ray on April 10, 2012.

Plot

In the past of Green Hill, Classic Sonic is exploring when he hears a noise. He then looks around and shrugs, thinking it was nothing. Suddenly, the Time Eater appears in the sky and he notices it, as the screen goes white. In the present day, Tails and the rest of Sonic's friends are having a surprise birthday party for the blue hedgehog, which is quickly ruined when the Time Eater appears again and sucks all of them back into different periods of Sonic's history. Sonic tries to attack the Time Eater but is easily knocked to the ground by a swipe of its arm, and blacks out. Tails is the only one left struggling to resist the Time Eater's vortex, but his grip soon slips and he is pulled in. Sonic wakes from his unconsciousness in a white world with a colorless Green Hill Zone and wonders what's going on. Sonic first frees Tails when he is in a frozen state. Sonic and Tails then decide on finding their friends. Tails then tells Sonic to go check Chemical Plant out. Sonic quickly sets off, but a few seconds later, Tails sees Classic Sonic and mistakes him for Modern Sonic.

After Sonic brings Chemical Plant back to normal and saves Amy, Tails reaches Sonic and explains how he would never forget the Chemical Plant's smell, and the annoying pink acid the place is filled with. Sonic agrees and tells Tails that the place is giving him déjà-vu. Meanwhile, Classic Sonic encounters Metal Sonic guarding a Chaos Emerald, battles him at the bad future of Stardust Speedway, and destroys him. Later, after restoring Sky Sanctuary and rescuing Knuckles, Modern Sonic is in a black and white hall with a large glass panel with Classic Sonic at the other side of the glass. Modern Sonic mistakes it for a mirror, along with mistaking Classic Sonic as his reflection, and vice versa. The two start setting their hair and looking at their teeth, concerned about their looks. When the two Sonics touch their bellies, Modern Sonic noticed how his reflection's belly is rounder, and gets the feeling that the reflection is not him. The two then hear Classic Dr. Eggman's voice, with Modern Sonic shouting his name; Classic Sonic looks at his Modern self through the glass and realizes that it was not his reflection the whole time. Classic Sonic runs towards Classic Eggman's voice. Modern Sonic is surprised to see his "reflection" running while he isn't, and realizes that his "reflection" is actually Classic Sonic. Modern Sonic tries to catch up to Classic Sonic, but the door closes on him before he can enter, resulting in him being locked in the room.

Finding himself in the Death Egg, Classic Sonic goes exploring but finds himself at a ledge, and falls back with relief. Then the Death Egg Robot rises up in front of him, starting a battle. After the Death Egg battle, he sees the Time Eater kidnapping Classic Dr. Eggman, while the Classic villain ironically cries for help. Modern Sonic sees his Classic self as he returns and is in disbelief that there is another Sonic. Modern and Classic Tails tell the Sonics that they are traveling through time and space, which is why they are experiencing all of their past encounters, along with seeing Classic Sonic. The two Sonics quickly team up and run towards the remaining zones to restore their color and their natural place in time. The two realize that the faster they go through the zones, the more time and color will be restored.

After the Dreamcast Era, comprised of Speed Highway, City Escape, and Seaside Hill, and saving Cream, Cheese, Rouge, and Espio, Modern Sonic finds Shadow near City Escape. Shadow tells Sonic he doesn't care where he is; he just wants to finish their battle. Sonic accepts and the two battle on in Final Rush. Sonic defeats Shadow with the help of some power cores. Later, while Classic Sonic was in Seaside Hill, Modern Sonic finds himself in a flooded Station Square. the city starts to rumble and Perfect Chaos comes out and starts screaming. He then opens his eyes, spots Sonic, and the battle begins. After the battle, Perfect Chaos drowns (somehow Sonic is able to defeat him without Super Transformation). After Perfect Chaos, the gang has a little chat until Time Eater appears leaving 3 more zones in the white limbo. After leaving the third zone, Time Eater spots a colorless Chaos Emerald and tries to attack it, but the power of the Chaos Emerald blocks it off. The two Sonics restore Crisis City, rescuing Blaze. Modern Sonic then finds Silver above Crisis City. Silver is surprised to see him, and thinks he is a faker because he hasn't seen him in a long time. Silver challenges him to a battle in Crisis City. Modern Sonic rushes to the scene of the battle and joins in, eventually managing to defeat Silver.

After restoring Rooftop Run and rescuing Vector and left with only one more place to bring back, the two Tails realize that the Time Eater dislikes Chaos Emeralds and tell the two Sonics to collect the seven Emeralds. The two Sonics restore Planet Wisp and saving Charmy the two Sonics race each other to the Emerald. Modern Sonic beats Classic Sonic in the race because he's had more experience (using the Sonic Boost in the air, which impresses Classic Sonic). After beating the Egg Dragoon, Classic Sonic is confused to see Modern Eggman inside of it, as he thought that Eggman got kidnapped. However, the Time Eater comes again and kidnaps Eggman once again, leaving the entire gang confused.

The gang then chases after the Time Eater and find it to be a supernatural being converted to a machine being piloted by Modern and Classic Dr. Eggman. When asked, Modern Eggman explains that while he was trapped in space with Orbot and Cubot at the end of Sonic Colors, he found a monster with a unique ability to erase time and space. His plan was to undo all of his past mistakes whilst kidnapping Sonic's friends to use as bait to get Sonic to chase after him. (Though Modern Eggman left Cubot and Orbot in Space.) He also had the help of Classic Eggman in order for all of it to work. The monster tries destroying the two Sonics; though they put up a decent fight, it quickly manages to knock them to the ground and crush them with its arm. The two Sonics pass out, but before they can be finished off, they get support from all of their friends along with Shadow and Silver, allowing the Chaos Emeralds to glow and activate, transforming them into Super Sonics. The two defeat the Eggmen and their monster, and return back to where Sonic had his birthday party.

At the party, Modern Sonic gets to enjoy the rest of his chili dog, which was blown away by the Time Eater's imterruption of his birthday party, as Classic Sonic and the rest of the gang reappear, including Shadow and Silver. After a few conversations between the two Sonics and two Tails, Classic Sonic tries out Sonic Boost in the air but fails to perform it properly, falling down and landing on his head. Modern Sonic claps for Classic Sonic anyway, saying that he's only going to get better. Modern Sonic and Tails share a few high-fives and wave good-bye as Classic Sonic and Tails jump back to their time-line through a portal. A post-credits scene shows the two Eggmen lost in the white space. The two argue as they search for an exit, discuss whether or not they ever defeat Sonic and contemplate if they should go back and get their teaching degree as opposed to continuing their misdeeds.

Voice Actors

Characters featured in the film with new voice cast members.

Classic Sonic is silent throughout the game, but still shows his personality through his actions and gestures. Aaron Webber mentioned in an interview, that if anyone were to be Classic Sonic, it would be Jaleel White. Aaron had to make a choice whether Classic Sonic would be voiced by Jaleel White or have no voice at all. Aaron also mentioned that he grew up with the classic cartoons of Sonic like Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and he thought Jaleel White did a fantastic job.

Voice overs exist not only for English and Japanese, but for German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

Role	English Voice Actor	Japanese Voice Actor	French Voice Actor
Sonic the Hedgehog (Modern only; Classic does not speak)	Roger Craig Smith	Junichi Kanemaru	Alexandre Gillet
Miles "Tails" Prower (both Modern and Classic)	Kate Higgins	Ryo Hirohashi (Modern) Takuto Yoshinaga(Classic)	Marie-Eugénie Maréchal
Knuckles the Echidna	Travis Willingham	Nobutoshi Canna	Sébastien Desjours
Amy Rose	Cindy Robinson	Taeko Kawata	Naïke Fauveau
Cream the Rabbit	Michelle Ruff	Sayaka Aoki	Mary Millet
Vector the Crocodile	Keith Silverstein	Kenta Miyake	Philippe Roullier
Espio the Chameleon	Troy Baker	Yuuki Masuda	Antoine Nouel
Charmy Bee	Colleen O'Shaughnessey	Youko Teppouzuka	Mary Millet
Shadow the Hedgehog	Kirk Thornton	Koji Yusa	Benoit DuPac
Rouge the Bat	Karen Strassman	Rumi Ochiai	Marie Lenoir
Silver the Hedgehog	Quinton Flynn	Daisuke Ono	Hervé Grull
Blaze the Cat	Laura Bailey	Nao Takamori	Delphine Braillon
Omochao	Laura Bailey	Etsuko Kozakura	Marie-Eugénie Maréchal
Doctor Eggman (Both Classic and Modern)	Mike Pollock	Chikao Otsuka	Marc Bretonnière

Gameplay

The game features levels derived from 20 years of Sonic history, spreading across three eras: Classic, Dreamcast and Modern. Each level can be played with either Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic, each taking their own routes throughout the level. Classic Sonic's levels are strictly two dimensional side scrolling stages, using classic moves like the Spin Attack and Spin Dash. On the other hand, Modern Sonic's levels follow gameplay style similar to more recent entries in the series, with the console versions using the 2D/3D style gameplay of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, featuring homing attacks, boosting, and the quick step, and the 3DS version using the 2D gameplay of the recent Nintendo DS games, such as the Sonic Rush series and Sonic Colors.

Development

File:Sonic generations CE.jpg

Sonic Generations Collector's Edition Content

The game was first revealed on April 7, 2011, when Sega posted a teaser trailer on their Facebook page. The teaser depicted both modern and classic interpretations of Sonic the Hedgehog running alongside each other. The game was officially unveiled as Sonic Generations on April 18, 2011, along with the first gameplay trailer. The game's plot was penned by Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, who previously worked on Sonic Colors. Sega's Community Manager Aaron Webber revealed that Classic Sonic will be mute. Both Classic and Modern Sonic will have their own sets of physics, the former of which Webber claims will be "closer to the classics than anything since, including Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1." Producer Takashi Iizuka has confirmed that although other characters will be part of the story, only the two Sonics shall be playable. Iizuka also confirmed that each returning level shall feel familiar but will also feature a new visual element like the caves seen in the Green Hill stages. The game will also feature boss battles against foes from past Sonic titles, including Metal Sonic, the Death Egg Robot, Shadow the Hedgehog, Perfect Chaos, Silver the Hedgehog, and the Egg Dragoon.

A financial earnings report posted by Sega Sammy Holdings listed versions of the game for Nintendo 3DS and PC, though a revised version of the report no longer listed either version. The game was eventually confirmed in Nintendo Power to be coming to the Nintendo 3DS, being co-developed by Dimps. Other than Green Hill Zone, the console and 3DS versions of the game will feature completely different sets of levels. A Steam client update contained details on a Sonic Generations Beta, further hinting at a PC version of the game. SEGA officially announced a PC version of the game on October 11, 2011, which will be released digitally on November 4th 2011, with a retail version to be released in Europe shortly afterwards. All versions of the game will support stereoscopic 3D. A downloadable minigame based on Sonic 2's Casino Night Zone will be available for the console versions as a pre-order bonus from GameStop in the USA and from Game in the United Kingdom. A Collector's Edition was announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, containing the game and manual with limited lenticular box art in a steelbook case, special booklet containing never before seen pictures, a documentary disc about Sonic's history with never before seen footage, a music album containing many tracks specially picked by Sonic Team, a limited and individually numbered gold ring, a voucher for downloadable content, and a figurine of both classic and modern Sonic striking a pose on a ring. Currently the Collector's Edition will only be available in Europe and Australia. The original Sonic the Hedgehog game can be unlocked in the console and PC versions of the game. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and Sonic 3D is also being offered for people who preorder the PC version on Steam.

A time-limited playable demo of the game containing Classic Sonic's Green Hill Zone was released on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network between June 23, 2011, and July 12, 2011, when downloaded copies were disabled. A second demo for PSN and Xbox Live, which also contains Modern Sonic's Green Hill Zone, was released on October 18th and the 19th for Xbox Live Gold members and the European PSN respectively. The demo was also released on the North American PSN on the 25th.

Reception

The game has received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic Sonic Generations scored a 75 on the PS3, and a 77 for the Xbox 360. IGN gave the game a score 8.5 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice award, praising the overall gameplay and the level design, whilst criticising some occasional control issues and limited boss battles. Destructoid's Jim Sterling gave it an 8 out of 10, noting that "If Sonic Team can keep this up, then the blue blur will most definitely be back on top." Computer and Video Games gave it a 7.5/10, praising the balanced design but criticising the framerate of the graphics. 1UP.com gave the game a "B" score, praising its variety, fun-to-play levels and interesting set-pieces, whilst criticising some on-rails sections and occasional frustration. PlayStation Official Magazine gave it an 8/10, calling it "a masterpiece of platform game design." GameTrailers gave the game a score of 8.1, calling it "the best Sonic game in over a decade." GamesRadar gave the game 8/10, calling it "the best Sonic game since Sonic 2."

The film premiered on Disney Channel on November 11, 2011 and brought in 8.8 million viewers during its premiere, making it the most broadcast film in the time slot. It was also Disney Channel's fifth most viewed film on TV as well as the fifth largest rating film to date.

Home media

Sonic Generations was be released on on DVD and Blu Ray on April 10, 2012.

External links

Sonic X film series

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Theatrical films		Curse of Raven Radix * The Shadow Snow * The Revenge of Sonic * Return to Soleanna * The Final Stand * Life With Shadow * The Final Chapter - Part 1 * The Final Chapter - Part 2
Soundtrack		Curse of Raven Radix * The Shadow Snow * The Revenge of Sonic * Return to Soleanna * The Final Stand