Sonic Generations

Review

Common Sense Media says

Play as Sonic of past or today in whiz-bang action romp.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
10
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Sonic Generations is an arcade-style game that features side-scrolling levels and 3D levels. It features a character that moves very quickly and that requires some quick reflexes to get through the levels. There is some minor violence as Sonic runs into characters and fights in Boss battles. Players receive scores at the end of each level (which has things factored in such as the number of rings collected and how fast each level is navigated) that grade the effort from "A" to "D," giving the game replay value as kids attempt to get a better score.

  • Positive messages2
    Sonic's friends are kidnapped and held in other worlds, and Sonic puts his personal interests aside to save them. This speaks to the value of friendship and selflessness in helping others first.
  • Positive role models2
    Sonic treats his friends respectfully and puts their needs ahead of his own. While there is not a lot of dialogue in the game, what there is carries that theme.
  • Ease of play3
    The control scheme is easy to understand and use, and the menus are kept simple making navigation through to the game's action very easy. When the challenge pops up is in the actual game, Sonic moves very fast, and there are areas where he is zipping through tunnels and across twisting bridges that make it hard to visually track him. The jumping controls have to be precise at times to move from one area to another -- either from one rail to a side rail, or up and across platforms.
  • Violence2
    Sonic uses his spinning to attack enemies that will explode in a puff of smoke or fall apart. Enemies that are destroyed disappear quickly. When battling bosses, Sonic finds their weak spots and rams into them. When Sonic is hit (or if he drowns in some areas where there are water levels), he will flash and drop rings that he has collected. If Sonic has no more rings to drop but has lives left, the level will restart from the last save point. If he is out of lives, then players will have to restart from the beginning of the level. While most of the enemies will simply fall apart or explode, in the longer battles, there can be cries of pain when Sonic hits the monsters.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
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What's it about?

In SONIC GENERATIONS, speedster hedgehog Sonic must travel to different worlds to save his friends who have been kidnapped by an evil entity. The game features classic side-scrolling gameplay as well as the more modern 3D look, with rings to collect, enemies to overcome, and scores to record. Gamers can play either as the modern Sonic, or the older, shorter, 16-bit version of the character. There are nine worlds to travel to, and some have references to tributes to various games in the 20-year legacy of the character.

Is it any good?

 

Sonic is one of those characters that was great when he first arrived on the video-game scene, but who then struggled through lackluster game releases. But the Sonic that appears in Sonic Generations is a return to the exciting character of old, as this game has the elements of speed and arcade challenges that made the original fun. This new Sonic Generations provide eye candy for Sonic fans with vibrant, exciting graphics. The homage paid to past games is worthy of several smiles and should please veteran gamers as well as make new fans among younger gamers. The replay value is centered on improving scores, but each level can be warped through quickly enough that players don't have to feel they are investing major portions of their day inside this world. Sonic Generations is fun, challenging at times, and a nice comeback effort for the video-game icon.

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about video game violence and how to select games that are appropriate for the player's age level.

  • Talk about how players can avoid or deal with peer pressure to play games that they know they should not be playing.

  • Talk about responsibly managing the time spent playing video games or even watching television.

  • Parents can chat with their younger players about what makes a game like Sonic fun -- what it is about the look and action that make players want to play the game again and again?

This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Kid, 11 years old
February 8, 2012
AGE
2
 
2+
9+? Stupid much?
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Teen, 15 years old
January 20, 2012
AGE
10
 
Rated E? You have got to be kidding me!
What is with you ESRB? just because this game may not be as violent as Sonic Unleashed, it is too much for the 6 year old! I'll admit it is fairly mild, but it needs an E10 rating. I've played E10 games milder than this!!! Overall its a very good game and I've almost beat it and it shouldn't be missed by any sonic fan!
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Kid, 11 years old
January 25, 2012
AGE
9
 
dumb
This was here senice 1991 and still existes today. Though this version is the hardest
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Kid, 11 years old
May 8, 2012
AGE
18
 
Sonic kills Shadow in Dinosaur King of Sonic Universe
This game... is like an insanity test for Shadow Fans and Sonic Haters. I am that. I loved Shadow since I knew about him, I hated Sonic ever since he cheated a race as an NPC in All-Stars Racing. They decided two things: Make Sonic kill Shadow with meteors in his HOME AREA (Totally NOT a shout out to Dinosaur King), and make Shadow say "Be careful Sonic!" After exactly WHAT the little blue humanoid did to him. This is like Dinosaur King, an insanity test for fans and haters of certain things. Or horrifying Chernobyl mutants.
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This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Arcade
Developer:Sega of America
Release date:October 31, 2011
Price:$29.99 -$39.99
ESRB rating:E for Cartoon violence
This review was written by Michael Lafferty
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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