4/5 ★ – KingChiliPepper's review of Sonic x Shadow Generations.

I'm still not as high on Sonic Generations as some, but after replaying it as part of this collection, I'm coming around on it. The 2D levels, whilst still not on par with the Mega Drive games, Mania or even Superstars in terms of feeling, are pretty solid and offer some fun spectacle. I'm somewhat of a Boost-era sceptic, but this revisit allowed me to appreciate what this style of gameplay has to offer and I think there are some really impressive levels here, particularly in the first half of the game. Later on, the quality plummets, especially with Planet Wisp, which is a horrid mix of meandering ideas and janky wisp mechanics (even in Colours, I hate those wisps). I wish they did a lot more, or anything at all, with the story and that the finale was much better, but otherwise I walked away from this playthrough of Generations feeling warmer toward it than I ever have. The main event here though, is Shadow Generations, which offers some of the most well designed levels and slick controls that 3D Sonic has ever had. Shadow feels great to control, both in stages and when running around the hub world. Levels are visually and mechanically varied, plus the game gives Shadow new abilities at a fairly quick pace. It's a short experience, but backtracking through early stages with your new powers offers new paths to progress through, setting a high ceiling for skillful, stylish runs as you learn the level layouts. It's a wonderful balance of 2D and 3D design ethos. Building on some of the foundations of Frontiers, Shadow Generations is the best 3D Sonic game probably since the Adventure titles, and it left me feeling very excited about the future of Sonic.