SEGA Has To Prove Sonic X Shadow Generations Is More Than Just A Nostalgia Cash-Grab

Sonic fans collectively acted like they were surprised when they saw that the new game in the Blue Blur’s long-running series will be Sonic X Shadow Generations. The reveal was ruined by a leak that surfaced hours before the State of Play presentation That said, just the leaked title itself was enough to get people hyped. This was mainly because it was a clear reference to the 2011 game, Sonic Generations.

Sonic Generations was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Blue Blur. It featured a number of notable levels and stages from a multitude of Sonic games over the years. Not only that, but the game also saw the return of Classic Sonic. Sonic Generations felt like the culmination of everything SEGA has learned over the years when making Sonic games.

With how effectively it used nostalgia, it’s no surprise the game was a huge hit among fans. While a sequel to such a successful title seems like a no-brainer, from what we know about Sonic X Shadow Generations, this isn’t exactly a full-on sequel.  SEGA could really mess up if the company doesn’t make significant changes to the base game to justify the price tag. Here’s why.

Lightning Never Strikes Twice

This time around, it looks like SEGA is expecting fans to be nostalgic for Generations itself. That isn’t exactly a tough bet, considering the game came out well over a decade ago. But it’s going to be tough to see fans getting hyped for it if all this is a remake with a couple of new levels added in.

We know for a fact that there’s going to be a new Shadow campaign. But are there going to be any new stages with Sonic? Well, from the looks of it, this isn’t going to be the case. On the game’s official website, it currently mentions that the game offers two unique experiences. The first is a brand-new story campaign with Shadow. 

And the other is a remastered version of Sonic Generations with Sonic. And that’s a problem. The thing is, while Sonic Generations is a decade old, it’s not nearly old enough to get players excited about the same levels. SEGA had the perfect opportunity to spice up the original Generations gameplay by adding in levels that previously didn’t get the time to shine.

While Generations featured a bunch of all-time favorite Sonic stages, fans still felt that a couple were overlooked. With the new title simply remastering the same old stages, guess we’ll never get to see some other iconic levels from Sonic’s history return in the Generations style.

Does Generations Really Need A Remaster?

While Generations is pretty old by now, it’s still a decent-looking game nowadays. This is especially thanks to the modding community for Sonic, that have upscaled textures on PC. In fact, the modding community on websites like GameBanana has even gone as far as to import entire stages from Sonic Unleashed and other Sonic titles straight into Generations.

This isn’t a small feat by any means. And it goes to show how the community has kept the title alive all these years. Releasing a new Generations, which’s essentially the same game with a few tweaks could hurt the modding scene.

For one, it’ll fracture the community, with many projects being abandoned or being forced to switch over to the new title. Additionally, it could mean that certain players will have to buy the new title if they wish to continue playing the newer iterations of the mods released. Players might deal with it if Sonic X Shadow Generations is a significant change.

I really hope Sonic X Shadow Generations isn’t a quick cash grab
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But if it’s just a couple of new stages, then the reception won’t be nearly as positive. Some fans are already wondering if the game will be a cash grab by SEGA. It also doesn’t help that some of the snippets we’ve seen of the original Sonic stages, don’t look much better graphically from the 2011 Generations. This would make the reliance on these levels even more blatantly cash-grab-y.

The Shadow Of It All

While the quality of the Sonic stages remains to be seen, it’s Shadow’s stages that will likely pique most people’s interests. With how hyped-up Shadow’s presence in this title has been, the character needs to have a full-fledged campaign.

And by full-fledged, I mean something that’s about as long as the original Generations stages. Sure, Shadow’s history isn’t nearly as long as Sonic’s. But the ultimate lifeform has been in a number of Sonic games since his original introduction. And there are plenty of levels from Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, and even Sonic ’06 that could work with Shadow.

The biggest mistake SEGA could make here is if they decide to dedicate just a couple of new stages to Shadow. I mean, it’s called Sonic X Shadow Generations. So for him to be relevant for only a portion of the game will disappoint many fans. Since it’s described as an entire campaign, it’s likely the length of the experience will rival the original Generations campaign.

But so far, this is mostly speculation as the official length of the game has not been revealed yet. Hopefully, SEGA has heard the very vocal demand by fans to return to the boost formula. And the studio delivers a title that is truly worthy of being a successor to the original Generations.

It Could’ve Been Sonic Unleashed

Sonic Unleashed is a much-loved title and the game that sort of pioneered the boost formula for Sonic games. On top of that, it’s a lot older than Generations. So it makes more sense to remaster it instead. Unleashed was also never released on PC. This means it hasn’t had a modding scene to keep it updated and active over the years. Re-releasing it could give the title a new life.

Sonic Generations is getting a Remaster
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Again, all these questions will get swept under the rug if SEGA is able to convince fans that their remaster of Generations is a new game in its own right. If not, then this will be yet another Sonic game that will leave the fans asking for more and questioning SEGA’s decision-making.