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c|net Previews Sonic Generations in Style, Seasides and Sanctuaries Abound

With half a month before the release of Sonic Generations, the embargo of information is slowly being lifted, with more and more footage popping through every nook and cranny, ready to satisfy the masses unable to contain their excitement for the game. Straight from the people of c|net and their video series preGame, one of the clearest full-length previews of the game so far comes almost live, hosted by none other than Sega of America’s Aaron Webber. To watch the video straight from the source, click here. Otherwise, take a gander at the YouTube mirror below. Either way, just be sure to know that there are plenty of spoilers inside, with more than one level featuring a full playthrough.

If you’ve been a hound for Generations news, the playthrough of Sky Sanctuary‘s Classic stage isn’t anything new (even if it still looks incredible). The full run for the Modern side of things? Brand new, if you don’t count those four seconds of footage we’ve seen in the Dreamcast trailer. Full of speed-induced goodness, at least it makes sense for this level to project the sense that at any time you could be falling to the ground below. It is a floating relic, after all! Being able to finally see inside those buildings that the hedgehog only bounced through in a brief second back in 1994, shades of the calming serenity of Hidden Palace are hinted at as Sonic continues to pop open each Eggrobo thrown at him.

The second half of the video played by the hand of Webber showcases the last level of the Dreamcast era, which had only been seen in brief snippets in various trailers. Further proving itself a worthy candidate for inclusion in the game, Seaside Hill begins less like a moment in Sonic Heroes and more like the classic underwater stages of classic games. Evoking the spirit of Aquatic Ruin and Hydrocity (wait, how do you pronounce that again?), the zone is full of breathable air bubbles taunting you as you fall deeper into the lower labyrinth, that familiar tune of sudden death creeping up at any moment…

The modern version seems a bit odd, but only in the sense that Sonic feels naked running through the landscape alone. Not that I’m saying I want the level to be playable only with the play mechanic of Heroes, it just takes a moment to realize that Sonic gets to drive that car all by himself. And besides, you get whales jumping overhead. Who doesn’t love whales? It certainly gives the art style of Ocean Palace its moment to shine.

Capping things off, we get another look at the Death Egg Robo boss for the classic era of the game, Aaron being able to show off his videogaming skills. And the cutscene opening up the battle is just so adorable, yet full of 90’s attitude.

The whole video is a reminder of why fans both old and new have fallen in love with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, furthering those expectations of the game when it finally becomes playable on November 1st. Can anyone be ready? Only Sega knows for sure.

[Source: c|net preGame]

EDIT: Yes, Seaside Hill is the last of the Dreamcast Era. That’s what happens when I write things half asleep. Silly me.

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49 Comments

  • Reply

    you can also collect super emeralds… nice

    • Reply

      Super Emeralds? Where was this said? 

      • Reply

        Same here… I’ve not read anything regarding ‘Super Emeralds’, just the Chaos Emeralds…

  • Reply

    I wish I have never seen the Death egg robo. Spoilers.

  • Reply

    very very good!!

  • Reply

    I’m really disappointed by the lack of a Sonic 3 level.

    I hope to god they have more levels available over time via DLC.

  • Reply

    Since when did Seaside Hill become the first level of the modern era? I don’t think it’s even the first level of the Dreamcast era!

    • Reply

      oh man don’t I feel retarded. I’ve fixed it now, so everyone else who pointed it out, fear not.

  • Reply

    I wanna cry.. Sky Sanctuary looks like HEAVEN in every sense of the word. I’m playing this on PC when it comes out. I could only imagine what an orgasm S3&K would be if it were entirely remade like this… Uhhhh. Thank You SEGA!!!

  • Reply

    “Aaron Webber’s Velvet Voice of Wonder” Whhaaaa? Actually, his voice was very soothing to hear XD
    And he made it louder so we could hear the music at points 😀
    He sooo niceeee

  • Reply

    You called Seaside hill the first of the Modern when it’s the last of the Dreamcast era.

    Or is that just you being sneaky? :p

  • Reply

    I am loving how this game is turning out, but you have to wonder, where can they go from here?

    • Reply

      I’m hoping this spawns a fork in the series (e.g. Separate Classic and Modern Sonic games).

  • Reply

    I told myself I wouldn’t watch any more spoilers.
    BUT I HAD TO

    • Reply

      Me too bro 😮 it’s just too hard to resist

  • Reply

    Even though Aaron states Seaside Hill isn’t “technically” the Dreamcast era, it’s included in it. Silly david.

    Also good to know that with the car, you don’t have to jump up over lasers or any BS like that. You can just drive in style… And then trash the car. And leave.

    • Reply

      There’s Sonic proving that he doesn’t need his pals to do those levels.
      There’s Sonic proving that he doesn’t need a car to go fast.
      There’s Sonic proving a lot of things.

  • Reply

    Wow. Now if only Classic and Modern Full playthroughs of Speed Highway, Crisis City, and Shadow and Silver bosses.

    • Reply

      And a Modern Escape from the City full.

  • Reply

    Man, I’m not liking how POWERFUL that spindash is… Nor the weird way the rings flew away when he got shot, that seemed like a bug.

  • Reply

    Oh look, he’s got two Chaos Emeralds when the gameplay starts. That reminds me, did we ever figure out how to get Chaos Emeralds on the console version? I know it’s Heroes’ Special Stages for 3DS, but if the method for consoles was ever realeased, I forgot.

    • Reply

      Oh right, Red Rings. Durr.

  • Reply

    Awesome! Nice drowning music!

  • Reply

    I would put Sonic Heroes in Dreamcast era because it uses the same technology and game play as Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic 06 did use the same game play as the Dreamcast era, but the technology was Modern… the Modern game play wasn’t used until Sonic Unleashed.

  • Reply

    I love how they incorporated Ocean Palace into Modern Sonic’s music for Seaside Hill.

  • Reply

    He said Hydrocity wrong. =P

    • Reply

      I didn’t read the full article at first — I see that David caught that too.

    • Reply

      He said Hydrocity not “Hydro City”

  • Reply

    Cool.
    But needs SONIC 3.

    • Reply

      I love how the fanbase only starts treating Sonic 3 and S&K as two seperate games the moment SEGA themselves decide not to. It’s almost funny in a way.

      • Reply

        Yes, quite ironic. I think what they mean is that the levels only come from the Sonic & Knuckles portion of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, though. It’s a legitimate complaint, really.

  • Reply

    there should be 5 generations of 2 levels each:

    classic era:sonic 1 and sonic 2

    knuckles saga: sonic 3 and s&k

    dreamcast era: sonic adventure and sonic adventure 2

    modern era: sonic colors and sonic unleashed

    messed/fucked up generation: sonic heroes and sonic unleashed

    so thats how seaside hill is the first of something!!!!

    • Reply

      i mean sonic 06 for messed up generation not unleashed

  • Reply

    Seaside Hill is actually the third Modern stage. The first being Speed Highway and last being Planet Wisp.

    Unless there are some Officialtards who take to extreme everything SEGA says, including lame excuses like that “Dreamcast Era” shit that is just the first half of the Modern Era.

    • Reply

      We get it, Riddle; you’re bitter and edgy.

      I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: 1998-2003 hardly qualifies as “modern” by any standards. If you want more classic stages, go play the classic games. News flash: the reason Modern Sonic seems to be getting more attention in Generations is simple – Modern Sonic has been in more games. It makes sense for a game that celebrates 20 years to put more focus on the guy that’s been around for 13 years as opposed to the one that was only used for 7.

    • Reply

      Actually, let me put this another way. It’s not that I don’t understand where you’re coming from. I just don’t get why you insist on complaining about it at every opportunity. Your complaints might be valid if the stage selection affected the gameplay, but it doesn’t. Every stage is going to have both Classic and Modern interpretations, anyway. Since I don’t peg you as the type who would be genuinely excited about seeing classic stages recreated in modern gameplay, the only reason I can see you so heartbroken about the lack of classic stages is nostalgia; and in that case, why don’t you just play the old games themselves? I just don’t understand why you feel the need to bitch about such a non-issue.

      • Reply

        Same deal: If I wanted Spagonia, Planet Wisp or anything, I’d friggin play those games that came out yesterday. Also, in all of the Modern Sonic’s participation in those 20 years, does he has ANYTHING to “celebrate”? “Every stage is going to have both Classic and Modern” – Except for the bosses, huh? where Classic Sonic will beat 2 while Modern is taking care of the other 4. (who knows if “Plus Time Eater”, huh?)

        I’ll help you to see the reason I complain: Some levels there we simply saw yesterday. Spagonia and Planet Wisp. While Crisis City has no special reason to be celebrated(it is old enough). Why don’t I play the old games? Because they haven’t seen the full treatment of the Graphic Team of Generations, the same Team that is throwing their talents away in the trash by recreating shit like Planet Wisp, Spagonia, Crisis City, etc while they could’ve been recreating Marble Zone, Lava Reef, Ice Cap, and goodness knows what else.

        Open your eyes for it: We, classic fans, got only 3 levels to smile at. Those Adventure-era fans got only 2 levels to smile at(plus Without the gameplay they used to love). Fans of Sonic Heroes… well… if there exist any, they got only Seaside Hill. While the Modern Fans… well… they accept anything, they would find it cool even if it had 5 stages of Sonic and the Black Knight. So, the game is 100% great for them. Even if it was revealed that “Modern Sonic is gay”, they would find cool, after all, it’s Sonic on it.

        Sonic Generations, with the superficial proposal of unifying all the fanbases, only showed Sega’s effort to divide the fanbase more.

        • Reply

          I, for one, think it’s suerficial to be so quick to dismiss the game simply because of the level selection when the game itself is looking to be so fantastic. As I’ve said before, it’s all 20 years of Sonic that have defined what he is, for better and for worse, and believe it or not, there are people out there who get all nostalgic and fuzzy seeing levels from Sonic Heroes and the like; there are kids who grew up on those games just as we did on the classic games. I will readily admit that having a few more classic stages in the game would be welcome, but the modern games like Unleashed and Colors have just as much right to be there. There are people excited to revisit those levels, too, you know. Sonic’s just as popular now as he was 20 years ago (after all, he’s lasted this long, right? Most video game characters are lucky to last longer than five years), so he has plenty to celebrate. (And I think, if nothing else, Crisis City is in Generations because it was from Sonic’s 15th anniversary game, as embarrassing as it was. 15 years was a big milestone, and at the very least, the level is cool-looking.)

          Also, I fail to see how your comment about “if Modern Sonic turned out to be gay” has any relevence to this debate. You seem to treat such a possibility as though it were a bad thing when it really shouldn’t even make a difference; if he WERE gay, so what? What would THAT matter? Those people that would be okay with Modern Sonic being gay likely have those views because they’re accepting of gay people anyway, not because “hurrdurr itz Sonic so he’ll alwayz be teh coooolz!1!!” That, I think, just proves to me how close-minded a person you are in general, and that as such, arguing with you about anything is relatively pointless.

      • Reply

        “Sonic’s just as popular now as he was 20 years ago” really? so let me give the difference…. he was popular 20 years ago because he was too goddamn awesome compared to all other franchise games. He is popular now because he has become a symbol of how to ruin every aspect of a franchise, leading to it’s ruin and hard recuperation.

        • Reply

          1993: Sonic sells like crazy and kids love him. Bitter fans of Nintendo bitch about Sonic.
          2011: Sonic sells like crazy and kids love him. Bitter fans of Classic Sonic bitch about Modern Sonic.

          So yeah. I’d say things are pretty much the same nowadays.

          And as a matter of fact, back in 1994, there was just as much bitching about Sonic 3 as there is today about Sonic 4 and the like (there was even a post on this very site that proved this). So even Sonic’s “good old days” weren’t as golden and perfect as we like to remember them.

          As they say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

        • Reply

          ‘Hard recuperation?’

          Please read a book.

  • Reply

    after I finally got to see the video “slow computer and connection, busy and stuff” I must say I’m more interested in the game that I was, it doesn’t seem like a Unleashed clone!

  • Reply

    LET’S REJOICE, NEW GENERATIONS DEMO ON OCTOBER 19TH!

  • Reply

    Great work by SEGA, SS Modern looks sexy and SSH looks great. I’m a happy fan. 

  • Reply

    Here’s some gameplay footage of the 3DS version, complete with new music tracks and full playthroughs of Big Arm, Green Hill, and Mushroom Hill.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl4F2OCuU9U&feature=feedf

    Oh, and this CNET interview is kickass.

  • Reply

    ive said it before and ill say it again stop talking so i can here the music and i though shadow was the last dreamcast game.

    • Reply

      The last dreamcast game was Sonic Adventure 2…. but if we’re talking about the Adventure Era that some people insist in separating from the said “Modern Era” just because there are no aberrations… yeah, Shadow’s Solo Game was the last, but it wasn’t featured in Generations.

  • Reply

    Awesome. I never had a Dreamcast, so I haven’t played SA and SA2, but I have Sonic Heroes and love it, even if I feel sick when Sonic speaks in that game. It was my first Sonic game that I played knowingly…even if I did have strange visions about the damn Black Doom boss in ShTH ONE YEAR before the game came out.
    Also, which ones the “Modern” games are are confusing, because there was (as far as I know) a three-year break between games with Sonic as a main (playable) character: Sonic Heroes (2003)- Sonic the Hedgehog/Next-Gen/the Disaster/the Failure/Whatever You Call It (2006), meaning it is hard to determen where each era starts and finishes (Heroes was avaliable for PS2/Xbox/Gamecube as well as the Dreamcast).

    P.S. With this game, The Everlasting Battle of the Faker*, as I call it, just expanded.

    *The Everlasting Battle of the Faker (E.B.F.), is Sonic vs Shadow (Who’s the Faker?), but now Classic is added.

  • Reply

    Technically we could call the “Dreamcast era” the “Gen 6 era.”

    Either way, loving how this game looks-here’s to hoping I can wrangle a copy for Christmas.

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