Sonic x Shadow Generations Officially Announced

During today's PlayStation State of Play, Sega pulled back the curtain on Sonic x Shadow Generations. The game's existence leaked earlier this week, and now we have official word on what to expect. The game will offer a complete remaster of the original Sonic Generations as well as a new story campaign focused on Shadow. We don't know exactly how big this Shadow campaign will be, but from the trailer, it seems to be pretty significant! Last but not least, Sega has stated that the game will feature all-new bonus content that was not in the original game. Sonic x Shadow Generations will be releasing on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC in autumn 2024. 

A trailer for Sonic x Shadow Generations can be found below. 

The Original Version of Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations was originally released in 2011, and was meant to be a celebration of the character's 20th anniversary. The game originally released on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, though a different version also appeared on Nintendo 3DS. In the game, Dr. Eggman allies himself with a being known as the Time Eater. As a result, Dr. Eggman and his past self wreak havoc on the timestream, forcing "Modern Sonic" and "Classic Sonic" to save the day. Classic Sonic's stages are in 2D and feature new takes on Sega Genesis locations like Green Hill and Chemical Plant. Meanwhile, Modern Sonic has stages based on games from the 3D era, including Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Colors. 

Sonic Generations received highly-positive reviews upon its release, and in 2022 it was listed as one of ComicBook.com's Best Sonic The Hedgehog Games to Play After Watching Sonic the Hedgehog 2. While the game is not currently on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, it has remained available on PC, as well as Xbox via backwards compatibility. 

Playable Characters

Over the years, a lot of Sonic games have allowed players to select characters like Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, but players shouldn't expect to see the same from Sonic Generations. The game's original campaign only allows players to experience the game as Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic. That might disappoint some fans, but it does give the game a bigger focus on Sonic himself, which makes sense given that this was initially meant as an anniversary celebration. 

Sonic fans looking for a game that allows them to play as other members of the supporting cast will simply have to settle for recent options like Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Superstars. While Sonic Superstars launched with Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as playable characters, Sonic Frontiers only had one playable character when the game launched. Thankfully, the trio were added to Sonic Frontiers as part of the free DLC released last year. 

Are you excited for Sonic x Shadow Generations? Did you play the game when it originally released? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!