Sonic X Shadow Generations Review: Generations of Improvement

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  • Опубліковано 26 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 51

  • @MugiMallard
    @MugiMallard  Місяць тому +8

    Sonic X Shadow Generations has been out for a bit, so let me know what you think of it! Do you want to see more Shadow after 2024?

    • @Numocron
      @Numocron Місяць тому +1

      Of course😃👍🔥❤️

    • @truthhopelove
      @truthhopelove Місяць тому +2

      Didn’t you upload this already?

    • @MugiMallard
      @MugiMallard  Місяць тому +6

      I uploaded this yesterday onto my MugiMikey channel but I quickly took it down since I realized it's better suited for this channel.

    • @truthhopelove
      @truthhopelove Місяць тому +2

      @@MugiMallard Oh, okay, makes sense. 😅

    • @nazeirsvibingandstuff769
      @nazeirsvibingandstuff769 Місяць тому +2

      To be honest I would love to see more games of shadow and more games for silver and for other characters like Amy,tails, knuckles,chaotix,blaze,etc

  • @KeroKaminaX
    @KeroKaminaX Місяць тому +3

    Doom morph is actually really good for movement and speed but very hard to get the hang of, I’ve seen friends do incredible things with it. And doom wing is surprisingly good in all of the levels and not as situational as it seems

  • @EpicKevster
    @EpicKevster Місяць тому +13

    Can’t wait for Sonic x Big the Cat Unleashed

  • @Outshinedsg
    @Outshinedsg Місяць тому +16

    Shadow Gens basically fixed all the main complaints you cited about vanilla Generations.
    Nothingburger story? Absolutely the not the case in Shadow Gens. Shadow's characterization is the best in years, and together with the incredible Dark Beginning shorts, is an emotional retelling of Shadow's origin story. Dr. Gerald and Maria even get characterization and are no longer completely flat 2D characters, but people that have their own personalities that you can actually care about (or at least, believe that Shadow cares about them). Even Devil Doom's motivations get fleshed out and he seems like a more credible villain that can emotionally antagonize Shadow. Although the story is a bit short, it is very impactful in that time, and I think it does a lot to re-establish Shadow's character.
    Awkward 2D stages? Shadow Gens generally has excellent level design, and the camera moving 45 degrees behind you on some 2D stages lets you see ahead of you as needed. This is a good innovation that can help reduce the problem of suddenly running into things.
    Too safe? Some safeness is going to be unavoidable as a remaster, but I don't think Shadow Gens is necessarily a "safe" game. Sega did take some creative risks by featuring human characters prominently in the story again, which backfired heavily in Sonic 06, and by having the courage to tell a more serious story this time (and expecting the audience to take it seriously). They also took some risks with the game design by introducing new mechanics for Shadow with the Doom powers. They've been mostly well received, but any time you introduce new mechanics to an existing character it's not guaranteed to go well.

  • @Sonic_Gamer501
    @Sonic_Gamer501 Місяць тому +23

    Hot take: I actually like some of the dialogue rewrites. Since the game was originally made to celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary, it's nice to hear all of these callbacks. Also, some other rewites actually improved the story imo.

  • @kaxcommentssomethingREAL
    @kaxcommentssomethingREAL Місяць тому +5

    has anybody else had the same thought that the Doom Spears essentially work like Gamma's shooting stages from Sonic Adventure?...
    just something i wanted to point out,
    great video, Mikey! :]

  • @BlackFlash09
    @BlackFlash09 Місяць тому +3

    The reason why Shadow got a level from Sonic Frontiers is because Shadow fans kept demanding that he be in more games... without justification. "I don't care if it breaks the lore. Give us a Classic Shadow, you MFs."

  • @michaelcaboose8685
    @michaelcaboose8685 Місяць тому +5

    You can’t say “I want a Lost World Stage” and not elaborate. What’s their identity outside the gameplay?! Windy Hills in the boost formula is Green Hills

    • @AAlex-wg8ml
      @AAlex-wg8ml Місяць тому +4

      All the Lost World stages themes are too generic in design, and you'd basically have to create a complete new level design, since LW doesn't have the same game design as Generation for example

    • @MugiMallard
      @MugiMallard  Місяць тому +1

      The reason I felt that Lost World deserved a stage is because every other mainline Sonic game in some way, shape, or form was represented with a stage regardless of how well each game performed. Lost World had very... unique stages, yeah, but there's plenty to pick from that could be reimagined. Lost World not having much of an identity is a bit subjective-- there's a lot that only that game did. If you think it's because the game is too different, you could say the same about Sonic Colors... especially at the time of Generations' release. They found ways to accommodate the wisps into Planet Wisp in Generations, so I'm sure they could make it work with Lost World if they tried.
      It's just weird to have every mainline Sonic game represented in the game in some way except Lost World, regardless of how some people feel about the original game. The whole idea with Generations is that every mainline Sonic game got representation regardless of how well each game performed. Good or bad, it was shown some love. Imagine if they didn't include Crisis City in the original Gens because it's from Sonic 06; it would still be incredibly odd.
      I didn't mention it in this video, but I think it's even MORE odd that they didn't prioritize a level from Shadow the Hedgehog.

    • @AAlex-wg8ml
      @AAlex-wg8ml Місяць тому +3

      @@MugiMallard At the end of the day, it's probably due to asset reuse that a Shadow 05 level isn't in the game
      Realistically, Chaos Island would have been a Shadow 05 level, so all the levels would have been places that we know Shadows went/is going to, so Lost World still wouldn't have made sense
      Also, colours wasn't that different. Yeah, the Wisps changed it up and gave the game a unique twist to the gameplay but
      1. You could basically play the game without using a wisp (they were mostly used for S ranks and Red Rings)
      2. The Wisps suck as a game mechanic. They did incorporate into Gens, but I don't think it's that fun to use, they just slow you down too much (in Colours and Gens)
      3. The Wisps are the gimmick for Colours whereas Lost World itself is the gimmick. The level formatting and features like Parkour are what make it different from other Sonic Games. It's identity came from it's art style and it's level design, both of which would be compromised to make Shadow Gens. It would make more sense to put a Black Knight stage at that point, because at least it shares more similarities with other boosts games.
      Also, they would still have to create new assets, and at that point they could have gone with Shadow 05.
      Anyways, great video overall!

    • @michaelcaboose8685
      @michaelcaboose8685 Місяць тому +2

      @ It’s your job to pitch how they would remake LW’s parkour stages into boost ones if you want to say they belong in

    • @MugiMallard
      @MugiMallard  Місяць тому

      My point was Sonic Generations' appeal is that every maineline Sonic game got representation, so it's weird that Lost World is the only one that didn't make it. Even though it's different due to the parkour, I don't think that really matters too much. Look at Sonic Heroes' rep in Generations-- that's like saying Seaside Hill needed Tails and Knuckles with Sonic so they could work as a team. Instead, they just took a level from Heroes and made it a regular boost level with no team mechanics in sight. For Lost World, they could make a boost level out of any of its levels-- my choice would be Silent Forest. It doesn't need to be an exception to the rule like Planet Wisp; they could simply just put something in as a boost level.
      All I was trying to say in the video is Sonic Lost World belongs in the game because it's a part of Sonic's mainline history. Every mainline Sonic game, despite how unorthodox it may be, got representation except SLW... so its exclusion is odd.

  • @AG_Speaks
    @AG_Speaks Місяць тому +1

    Great review! Wonder if you'll be doing more of these

  • @JLuisJoni
    @JLuisJoni Місяць тому +2

    I'm incredibly happy that this release turned out as well as it did. 4 years ago, I remember seeing a Sonic Franchise sale on Nintendo Switch, and the promo image in the News section used Generations' key art. Since then, I REALLY wanted a Generations remaster to play on my Switch. After Colors Ultimate release in 2021 and became one of my most disliked Sonic games, I was admittedly worried. But then this game came around. I bought the Switch version, and beat both games in less than a day. And the absolute joy I felt that the game turned out much better than I thought it would.
    Sonic Generations plays like Sonic Generations, no bullshit to be found like with Colors Ultimate. And Shadow? That left an even better impression. It's shorter than the Sonic campaign, but it does what it sets out to do brilliantly, even taking what Frontiers did and polishing it up. Shadow controls like a dream, even in the 2D sections. The single complaint I have about Shadow is just how the Hub World's map doesn't function like Frontiers'. Ya can't move it freely or put any markets. Beyond that, I think Shadow is easily the best part of the package, and mind you, the Sonic campaign rocks from a gameplay standpoint too. The story is what irked me the most about Sonic Generations, especially seeing as Shadow's side is just so much better from a presentation and writing standpoint. I genuinely hope they learn from Shadow Generations going forward, they did great here. Full package overall is a 9/10 for me, only brought down by the issues I have with Generations' cutscene presentation and writing. Oh, and Classic Sonic does admittedly feel weird, but that's also because I played a lot of Mania and Superstars.

  • @EmeraldUltima713
    @EmeraldUltima713 Місяць тому

    7:35 I would like to counter argue that statement. Yes, despite Sonic '06 being panned, it still had some concepts and ideas fans still admired. With Lost World, on the other hand, I don't think it left that much of an impression on most people due to the game being too safe and all over the place with the amount of gimmicks it throws at you.

  • @KeroKaminaX
    @KeroKaminaX Місяць тому

    Doom morph is actually really good for movement and speed but very hard to get the hang of, I’ve seen friends do incredible things with it. And doom wing is surprisingly good in all of the levels and not as situational as it seems surprisingly I found the challenge missions just as fun to play as the regular levels. Mostly the ones where I can break the time in half with chaos control

  • @tempest6027
    @tempest6027 16 днів тому

    i like the way you think, it's refreshing and understandable

  • @brycetheoddball
    @brycetheoddball Місяць тому +3

    Didn’t Frontiers come out the same year as the second film

    • @noahrobbins2095
      @noahrobbins2095 Місяць тому +4

      Yes but long after. It wasn’t made for the film, Frontiers was made in response to if anything the first movie. This game was made for Movie 3

  • @bowmaj8666
    @bowmaj8666 Місяць тому +2

    Whenever I hear people complaining about the tonal shift in the so called "meta era", compared to the Adventure Era and the Dark age, I feel I need to remind people why those changes were made in the first place.
    Back when those games were brand new, people just didn't like them. In fact, a lot of people straight up hated them. It was always the same nonsense.
    "Urgh, these stories are so dumb! I don't wanna sit through stupid cutscenes! Look at them; trying to be all dark and serious! It's just major cringe! I mean, C'mon! This is a cartoony Blue Hedgehog with Gloved Hands! You CAN'T take that seriously!"
    That and the fact that even the Dark Age stories that people are praising nowadays weren't well received when they first came out. Literally years of people spouting this nonsense, I feel, has had a negative effect on the people at Sega. It's taught them that, even when they put actual effort into their stories, overly critical critics as well hater and detractors are just going to complain and poke fun of it. So the meta era was literally Sega appealing their games to them over their own fans as a way of being in on the joke.
    The meta era was literally them just winking at their audience and going "Yeah, we know that this is dumb! We know that you hate serious stories! We know that you hate all of Sonic's lame-o friends! Don't worry, we've got you covered!"
    Things have definitely improved since the first live action movie, but you can sort of tell that the damage has been done.

    • @sikosonix901
      @sikosonix901 Місяць тому +1

      Finally, someone who understands the entire point of the meta era. In fact, it wasn't just storytelling, it was also characters and gameplay. People quite literally _despised_ everything about Sonic, so they had to change everything about Sonic. You cannot tell me with a straight face that this game would survive in 2010. If they hated Unleashed, this game would literally be burn to death, revived, and burnt to death again.
      Please, don't hate the meta era just because it's not what *you* specifically want. The lack of playable characters, momentum based gameplay, or deep storytelling isn't a genuine criticism. Especially when the games (excluding Lost World and Forces), weren't trying to do any of that. You can't say that Generations has a bad story when it's not trying to have one in the first place. You can't say Sonic is mischaracterised when they aren't trying to. It's not a problem with the game inherently if it's not even there. You are simply projecting what you want on something that can't and was never trying to give that to you. That was never the point of the meta era.

  • @sirkingpinmonroe4439
    @sirkingpinmonroe4439 Місяць тому +2

    Chaos CONTROL!

  • @AAlex-wg8ml
    @AAlex-wg8ml Місяць тому +3

    15:50 It makes sense that SEGA sensored Rouge. In Sonic Prime, they changed her outfit to the heroes outfit for sensorship. And I'll be honest, as a kid, I always though Rouge was too revealing, especially as a charater in a kids franchise and it genuinely made me uncomfortable. I literally wasn't allowed to play earlier Sonic games because my parents saw her design as innapropriate, which I agree to an extent.
    With this franchise opening up to more kids, is it not obvious they would sensor Rouge to appeal to the younger kids and their parents? If she appeared in the Movies for example with her original design, the amount of parents from the casual side complaining would be ridiculous. This was basically inevitable if you think about it, and them only changing her clothing and not her body was a smart change.

  • @kakhome1
    @kakhome1 Місяць тому +1

    Can you replay levels in Shadow Gens at will once you've unlocked them without having to do the challenge stuff over again to access?

    • @purplecat4582
      @purplecat4582 Місяць тому

      Yes, you can also intantly go on each level and challenge that you completed through menu

  • @pokerockultra9686
    @pokerockultra9686 Місяць тому +1

    I would like to hear your thoughts on Sonic Lost world it’s a very interesting game in terms of what it represented for Both Sonic Team/Sonic Franchise back then and looking back now in current times!

  • @1upGaming1up
    @1upGaming1up Місяць тому

    I feel like the Sonic remasters so far are a tie in to the Movies
    Sonic Colors Ultimate = Sonic Movie 1
    Sonic Origins/Sonic Origins Plus = Sonic Movie 2
    Sonic X Shadow Generations = Sonic Movie 3
    while Sonic Colors Ultimate is Sonic Genesis 2.0 and Sonic Origins is fine, I'm happy to see Sonic Fans who knew of the series though the Movies are getting a chance to experience these games, as for Sonic X Shadow Generations, I loved Sonic Generations OG and was exited for this game, I wasn't disappointed with some of the changes (though I wished Classic Eggman would have still said, "Wow will I really get that crazy?") Sonic Generations remastered is just Sonic Generations with bells and whistles. Shadow Generations, It's pretty much the Sonic series' own Bowser's Fury, Bowser's Fury took what made Super Mario Odyssey great and made it better and I felt Shadow Generations did the same for Sonic Frontiers and has me exited for Sonic Frontiers 2.
    Rumors are going around that Sega-ATLUS could retire the Hedgehog Engine and I felt that a Sonic Unleashed remaster could give the Hedgehog Engine a send off and have a Knuckles story to it with Metal Sonic as the Villain (Silver would be better for a Sonic Lost World remaster)

  • @Bb20099
    @Bb20099 19 днів тому

    the weirdest thing about these rewrites is that none of them were applied to the japanese script. In that version she says the same thing as she did in the old generation's, so apparently were back in the 90s where we have a different sonic for japan and the rest of the world and i hate that but surely nothing bad will come from that im sure it will not be confusing at all.

  • @LeadMe2TheBliss
    @LeadMe2TheBliss Місяць тому +1

    We need a Knuckles game!!

  • @devinsauls9137
    @devinsauls9137 Місяць тому

    Wait, you're doing a review now?

  • @IAmBored347
    @IAmBored347 Місяць тому +5

    In my opinion while I understand the controversy of the rewritten dialogue at least the story was taken seriously. As much fun Sonic Generations was gameplay wise story wise yeah the dialogue was too cheesy. Do I wished they added more to Generation's Main Story? Well at least we had the grand masterpiece such as Shadow's story. Even if its small less is more.
    Shadow is getting more appreciation and taken seriously in his animated shorts.
    Rogue and Omega are finally partners with Shadow and Shadow not abandoning them in All Star Racers.
    Shadow Story finally made sure he wasn't just Ow The Edge and removed the dirty flith other adaptions such as Sonic Boom or Forces did to him.
    Black Doom while bland at least was intimidating.
    A movie starring Shadow has Keanu Reeves who is one of the few Celebrity VAs that was great for the role and actually take the role seriously.
    And a final resolution of Maria, Gerald Robotnik and Shadow.
    Even if there is flaws in this new edition. We can all agree Sonic and SEGA is back. Also let's all say.
    *ALL HAIL SHADOW*

  • @Hynotama
    @Hynotama Місяць тому +2

    You mention that Sonic Generations felt “safe” and, to some degree, I completely agree with you. Except for one thing. Crisis City. The older fans might remember the whole “Sonic sucks because Sonic 06” narrative floating around the internet at the time and it cannot be understated how TERRIFIED Sega was to even acknowledge ANYTHING related to Sonic 06. They were desperate to raise Sonic’s reputation from the mud, even going around delisting any game without a satisfactory metacritic score. Nowadays, after Sonic Boom, after ChaosX’s loving recreation of Sonic 06 and with the whole sour thing leaving the collective memory of the populace (especially with the addition of new, younger fans, that might have been too young or not even born in 2006), things are different, with Sega bringing back Black Doom and Mephiles, something that had no chance of happening in 2011. Yes, the game was very safe and very “Pontac and Graff”, but they did have the blue spheres to acknowledge Sonic 06 for the first time, which was nice. The game had a lot of ambition and potential, but sadly, I don’t think Sega ever really understood that. They probably still think that fans are angry at bad game, whereas fans are really angry at the lost potential and mismanagement of a great game idea. Unfortunately, now the problem has been replaced with Sega being willing to waste valuable resources on consulting companies that ruin games. So far, the damage has been minimal, but I can see it getting worse. Let’s hope this garbage consulting company practice will go away soon, especially seeing how “politically correct” games tend to make stocks plummet. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens further.

  • @LPandbeyond
    @LPandbeyond Місяць тому

    gun didnt send shadow to the ark lol and chaos island was made because they had assets from frontiers so its an easy level to develop

  • @sikosonix901
    @sikosonix901 Місяць тому

    Can we please drop the disdain for the meta era?
    I get it alright, you miss the deep story lines, you miss the colourful cast, you miss Sonic being _cool_ But you gotta remember, that was cringe back then. So many people were laughing at Sonic for taking himself seriously, with quotes like "Sonic's Stupid friends", "It's a cartoon hedgehog", "edgy the hedgy", and much more. Are you going to look me in the eyes and tell me that more of what you want out of Sonic, _especially_ Shadow Generations, would be received well universally as it is now, let alone survive in the 2010s? I don't care how cool you think SA2 is, it doesn't matter how much you love the characterisation of Amy, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, or anyone in that franchise. It would've gotten _flamed_ back then, especially on 2010s UA-cam.
    Now we are repeating history. While not as bad as before, people are trashing on the meta era, saying things "bAlDy mC nOsEhAir", "i aM nOt WeAk", "boost2win", etc. Y'all are hating just to hate, yet you forget that that very era is what allowed you're favourite style of Sonic the Hedgehog to return in Frontiers and Shadow Gens. This is the exact same thing that people were doing in the dark ages. Hating on the games not because they're bad, but because it's not what they want from Sonic. But forget that those deep stories allowed them to get what they want.
    So please, if you're not going to see the good in the meta era, at the very least, appreciate what it gave you. If they kept giving you what you wanted, they wouldn't be able to for much longer.

  • @AdamSelvig
    @AdamSelvig Місяць тому

    15:12 that’s because of sweet baby Inc

  • @igottakirbranger8995
    @igottakirbranger8995 Місяць тому

    Your voice sounds familiar? 🤔🤔🤔

    • @guidemissile1494
      @guidemissile1494 Місяць тому

      he actually sounds like sonic LMAO

    • @igottakirbranger8995
      @igottakirbranger8995 Місяць тому

      @ close, he sounds more like an animator that does Sonic stuff, but I can’t really put my finger on it tho