After a somewhat lengthy download (thanks to my wi-fi), Sonic Generations managed to squeeze its way into my crammed hard drive on my PS3, and thus I began to proceed with the demo, which as Brooky mentioned in his Sonic-Birthday article, is only available for twenty days. Fifteen now. I'll be honest, when I started to play this I was fascinated; even the loading screen did it for me! It had an innocent, nineties reminiscent feel to it and it was bold and colourful; just as it should be. The gameplay itself was much easier than the original games. As I said on this week's show, the screen size is bigger, allowing the player to see more of their environment and to take their time with the level, gathering more rings or potentially gaining a higher score (unfortunately for some reason, the demo itself didn't allow for a high score to be achieved. Which kinda sucks). Although it still maintained the speed of Sonic (he is the fastest videogame character ever made, y'know), the game still managed to go at such a speed with which I, the player, was able to keep up with.

Sonic Generations, looked fantastic. There was incredible detail (more than I had anticipated) in the background and foreground. The environments themselves looked amazing and must be applauded. I particularly loved the small details; the dirt that appeared at Sonic's feet when he would jump onto the ground, for example. The combination of 3D elements also made this demo enjoyable, allowing the player to enjoy another perspective of the Green Hill zone. The demo includes a video preview of future levels, whereby there seems to be more of a Sonic Heroes perspective. However, this was not playable on the demo.

The demo loses marks in certain areas, none of which in the game, but more down to Sega. The demo only features one zone, which is completable in a minute and a half; and for me, that's it. But it does leave me wanting more. Damn it. This zone itself feels longer than the original, but still, more please!

The music must also receive some recognition; the classic sounds and themes we also associate with Sonic really push this game to its core. Emphasising that reminiscent feel I spoke about earlier, but providing a fresh approach to such a popular franchise.

All in all it's a great game that looks amazing. The controls are pretty much all they have ever been. No fancy gimmicks, no special moves (as of yet), just pure and simple gameplay maintained from the originals, mixed in a cocktail of twenty-first century graphics and art styles. Enough for any Sonic fan to go mad over. Sonic Generations will be available later this year.

4/5