SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS

Sonic X Shadow Generations brings back everything fans love about 3D Sonic with a vengeance, reintroducing one of the franchise's most infamous characters with all the flair he deserves. Shadow is finally back, sharing the cover with the Blue Blur for a time-skipping adventure across some of the most iconic moments in the series' history.

The last time Shadow was the protagonist in a Sonic game, there were tons of guns involved. This time, however, Sonic X Shadow Generations serves more as a tour through legendary stages and moments in the Sonic series, seen through the eyes of the dark antihero every Sonic fan loves to hate.

A blend between Sonic Generations and Shadow the Hedgehog, this compilation is a love letter for fans of the series who've been waiting ages for a good Sonic game.

2D Adventures and 3D Blasts

Much like the original Sonic Generations, Sonic X Shadow Generations features levels based on classic Sonic stages. This time, however, Shadow's inclusion means some levels are more suited to his chaotic playstyle. Instead of his weaponry, players can now find "Doom Powers," which allow Shadow to unleash hell on his stages.

The game features a standalone story mode for Shadow, with new levels and setpieces designed exclusively for the black hedgehog. Sonic and his friends also get some love in the form of a remastered and improved port of Sonic Generations, featuring all the content of the original game with improved visuals and performance.

Still, Shadow is pretty much the star of the show here. For those wanting a completely new game in the Generations series, this isn't exactly it. It is, however, the best 3D Sonic we've had in a while.

Chaos Control

Sonic X Shadow Generations is more than just a "Best Hits" compilation. Much like the original game, the Shadow campaign also comes with a new story that features the trigger-happy hedgehog and his powers. Sure, it's not as gripping as what fans got in Shadow the Hedgehog, but it's considerably better than what we had in Sonic Superstars.

Coming from the open-world design of Sonic Frontiers, Sonic X Shadow Generations' linear level design feels like a throwback to better times in the series. While Frontiers garnered some new fans for the blue hedgehog, Generations feels like a return to basics for a series that needs constant reminders of why fans love it so much: speed.

Redefined Hedgehogs

Speaking of Sonic Frontiers, this game also uses the powerful Hedgehog Engine 2 to power its visuals. The result is an impressive visual experience that makes Sonic's speed feel even more impressive. You don't even need blast processing now to make Sonic games look amazing, it seems.

While Shadow's stages look great, the revamped visuals in the levels from Sonic Generations are the stars of the show. The game now uses higher-resolution textures and a high framerate that makes the visuals and animation truly pop. This is Sonic gameplay at its smoothest – and there's no denying that fans will love every second of it.

Pros

• Stunning recreations of classic Sonic stages, plus a new Shadow campaign
• Gorgeous visuals
• Great sense of speed

Cons

• Shadow's campaign is a bit on the short side
• Some glitches and odd hitboxes here and there