don't click here

Handheld Sonic Generations - how would you have done it?

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by McAleeCh, Feb 22, 2018.

  1. McAleeCh

    McAleeCh

    Oldbie
    1,469
    528
    93
    It's not often I make a topic that's purely speculative in nature (or at all any more, for that matter), but I thought this seemed like a fun exercise. As we all know, the handheld version of Sonic Generations gave sod-all representation to the numerous handheld Sonic games released over the previous 20 years, instead focusing mainly on the home console games. If, at the time, you'd been given carte-blanche to put together a version designed specifically to celebrate the first two decades of Sonic's handheld adventures, what would you have included and why?

    The structure's simple: as in the home console version, you can pick three stages, a Rival Battle and a Boss per era, to give a nice even spread of content between each. Stages must be placed in release order of the games featured, though the Rival/Boss Battles can be from any game in that era, including one not represented in the stage list. Each era matches the existing versions of the game (with the middle one appropriately renamed) - the Classic Era (1991-1997), Advance Era (1998-2004) and Modern Era (2005-2010). Feel free to also not make the first stage Green Hill, even though SEGA almost certainly would have used it had they been doing this at the time...! = P

    So, without further ado, here's my take - this post got pretty long as I wanted to include the reasons behind each choice, so in the interests of not having a massive wall of text I've spoiler-tagged the details of each era...!

    Classic Era (1991-1997)
    Stages:
    • Bridge - (Sonic the Hedgehog, SMS/GG, 1991) - Green Hill/Water themed stage
      Similar enough to Green Hill to represent that trope, while distinct enough to retain some of its own identity. Would reimagine this one to include less greenery and more bridges the further through the stage you've progressed, and feature a stretch involving boosting along the river's surface in the Modern Act 2.[/i]
    • Under Ground - (Sonic the Hedgehog 2, SMS/GG, 1992) - Mine/Lava themed stage
      Although another opening stage, this one's an interesting example as it avoids the usual Green Hill tropes. The mine carts are probably the most memorable stage gimmick in the original game, so this stage definitely deserves inclusion here. In the Modern Act 2 I'd feature a Marble Zone inspired sequence where the player has to boost through a tunnel ahead of a rushing wave of lava.
    • Sunset Park - (Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble, GG, 1994) - City/Mechanical themed stage
      Only three stages means skipping a few games here and there, and of the remaining Classic-era handheld Sonic titles I feel Triple Trouble has the most memorable stages. This one's fondly-remembered by many for its iconic train chase sequence, which I'd reimagine as a set piece rather than a boss for the last portion of the Modern Act 2, complete with the appropriate music.

    Bosses:
    • Rival Battle: Nack the Weasel/Fang the Sniper - (Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble, GG, 1994)
      The handheld games don't really introduce many of their own characters, and being the only handheld-specific non-robotic antagonist introduced in the Classic era is enough to win this one for our favourite Weasel or Wolf/Jerboa hybrid, depending on your region. I'd have the battle start with him riding his jet-bike, the Marvelous Queen, and have the bike explode a few hits prior to the end of the fight, forcing him to switch to bouncing erratically on his tail while shooting his pop-gun as a 'pinch mode' for the last few hits. The setting would be an arena themed after the purple/white Special Stages where you face him in the original, and the boss music would be a remix of his Triple Trouble theme.
    • Boss: Silver Sonic/Mecha Sonic - (Sonic the Hedgehog 2, SMS/GG, 1992)
      Ol' tentacle chest-claw himself was the most memorable boss I could think of from the 8-bit games. I'd keep the fight largely the same as the original, though maybe give him a few new tricks up his sleeve inspired by later Mecha Sonic designs as a 'pinch mode' near the end of the fight. The setting would be an arena themed after Scrambled Egg Zone, and the music would ideally remix both Sonic 2's SMS and GG boss themes.

    Advance Era (1998-2004)
    Stages:
    • Casino Paradise - (Sonic Advance, GBA, 2001) - Casino/Pinball themed stage
      Although Sonic has a long history with Casino/Pinball themed stages, this is the first completely original example to appear in the handheld series. The night-time setting and neon signs make it visually distinct from other stages, the pinball gimmicks feature some interesting use of depth which could be explored further.
    • Music Plant - (Sonic Advance 2, GBA, 2002) - Music themed stage
      A great example of a theme unique to the handheld series. The striking pink background makes it visually distinct, and the musical theme is well-incorporated into the various gimmicks littered throughout the stage. The fact the stage also has catchy music - as you'd hope from a stage with this theme - is just the icing on the cake.
    • Chaos Angel - (Sonic Advance 3, GBA, 2004) - Ruins/Sky themed stage
      Floating ruins are a staple of this era of the handheld games, and none more memorable than Sonic Advance 3's sprawling final stage. The detailed visuals and fast-paced organ music make this one of the more epic takes on this particular trope.

    Bosses:
    • Rival Battle: Emerl - (Sonic Battle, GBA, 2003)
      Again the Advance Era lacks the introduction of many notable "rival" characters, with Sonic Battle's Emerl and Sonic Advance 3's G-merl proving the most memorable candidates. In the interests of greater representation of the era as a whole, I've gone for Emerl as my pick here - although Sonic Battle is a spin-off game, the fact that "main" handheld game Sonic Advance 3 is a semi-sequel plot-wise helps justify representing this game in some manner. The setting for this would be Sonic Battle's version of the Death Egg, and the music would remix the game's Final Boss theme.
    • Boss Battle: Hyper Eggrobo - (Sonic Advance 3, GBA, 2004)
      Most of the Advance-era bosses are generic Eggman machines, sometimes even riffing off of similar ideas already used within the same era! Sonic Advance 3's final boss is the most memorable to me, entirely due to the visuals - its setting also provides a nice means of shoehorning the Adventure-era Master Emerald shrine into this game as an extra reference for long-time fans. Despite this, the battle itself wasn't that involved in the original, so I'd probably give Hyper Eggrobo some extra attacks cribbed from the similarly-presented final bosses of Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure to help keep things interesting while at the same time adding a few more things for long-time fans to spot. For the pinch mode, G-merl would emerge from the machine and attack separately for the final couple of hits, until both it and the Hyper Eggrobo were defeated. The music would, predicatably, remix the Sonic Advance 3's final boss theme.

    Modern Era (2005-2010)
    Stages:
    • Mirage Road - (Sonic Rush, DS, 2005) - Desert themed stage
      Admittedly not my first pick from Sonic Rush, but a stage trope that's doesn't overlap with anything featured so far and catchy yet nigh-incomprehensible music make this one a shoe-in to kick off this era. It's also a rare example of a desert stage in a handheld Sonic game - I think Sonic Blast and Sonic Rivals 2 are the only others to feature one off the top of my head.
    • Pirates' Island - (Sonic Rush Adventure, DS, 2007) - Sea Port themed stage
      The seaside town trope is a relatively recent addition to the Sonic series, having only been explored in a few games so far. This stage gives a pretty good example of it in action, while also filling the underwater stage niche - as this is a late-game stage, the Classic Act 1 would definitely need to feature a challenging underwater section. I'd also crib some elements from Rush Adventure's Haunted Ship stage (minus the ghost enemies) by featuring a section set on a galleon that's anchored in port, to weight the theming even further towards the old-timey piratical feel that sets this stage apart.
    • Mystic Haunt - (Sonic Rivals 2, PSP, 2007) - Graveyard/Halloween themed stage
      Having never owned a PSP I'll admit I'm not very familiar with the Rivals series - however, this spooky supernatural stage looks like a good pick for the final level that doesn't cross over with themes already explored in other stages. Sonic has had a bit of a history encountering ghosts over the years, and this is one of the few examples of a handheld game touching on this somewhat non-standard foe. The gloomy atmosphere could easily help give that "final stage" feel, and the purple colour scheme and supernatural elements could be used to build towards the Final Boss which also incorporates similar themes visually.

    Bosses:
    • Rival Battle: Blaze the Cat - (Sonic Rush, DS, 2005)
      Although the Rivals series brings with it many pre-existing rival characters from the home console games, as a character introduced within the handheld series with two games whole games centred around her Blaze seems the obvious choice for this era's Rival Battle. The setting and music would be based on the battle with her from her debut game Sonic Rush - one of the catchiest boss themes in the entire franchise!
    • Boss Battle: Nega Mother Wisp - (Sonic Colours, DS, 2010)
      Although in terms of stages featured the handheld Sonic Colours merely imitated the home console version, the true final boss was the main area where the game broke away and did its own thing in the spirit of previous handheld Sonic titles. Similar to the Perfect Chaos battle in the home console Generations, this would need to be heavily reimagined to remove Super Sonic from the equation, mixing in elements from the Nega Wisp Armour boss in terms of setting, but as possibly the last true handheld game prior to Generations it would be nice to give it at least a passing nod representation-wise.

    Final Boss
    • Boss Battle: Time Eater
      Sticking with the plot established in the existing versions, the final boss would have course be a variation of the Time Eater. In terms of gameplay I'll leave it to more capable people to articulate how this might be improved over either of the existing versions! Plot-wise, however, I'd make one important change - in this version the Time Eater would be piloted by Classic Eggman, Modern Eggman and Eggman Nega, making it a team-up of villains from all three featured eras. Since Nega is a major handheld-only villain who recurs throughout the games featured in the "Modern" era, and is also sort of another version of Eggman, I reckon it makes sense to give him some representation here too!

    I'm sure there are a few issues with the choices I've made here - the two main ones I've noticed is the lack of a proper "Eggman Base"-type stage, and that plot-wise the player would never face two of the main antagonists outside of the final boss due to the selection of boss fights I've proposed for each era! Some of these aren't my first choices - Mecha Green Hill, Egg Rocket, Cyber Track, Huge Crisis, Haunted Ship and Frontier Canyon all featured in various versions of this list - but in the interest of having a wider selection of level themes and gimmicks I've had to compromise on a few of my selections. Nevertheless, I reckon that had SEGA run with something like this it would have provided a pretty good celebration of the first 20 years of Sonic's handheld adventures! = )
     
  2. SuperSnoopy

    SuperSnoopy

    I like Sonic Advance Member
    1,778
    740
    93
    Lyon, France
    Slice of life visual novel, coming soon...?
    Nothing else to add to what you've proposed here. Maybe the stage selection could be a little different, but you're spot-on when it comes to the games selection. I've always thought it was stupid for the 3ds version to have a whooping one stage from an handled game (two if you count Tropical Resort.)

    Maybe the gameplay could've been different too ? I don't now if the 3ds can handle the boost gameplay, but something 3d for modern Sonic would've made sense. Maybe the Adventure gameplay ? With the Switch hitting the shelves, it make me sad that the only 3d adventure Sonic had on 3ds was Sonic Lost World (which gave me aids)
     
  3. Blue Spikeball

    Blue Spikeball

    Member
    2,346
    956
    93
    I wouldn't have gone with handheld-only stages, as seeing 2.5d versions of the MD and Dreamcast stages was pretty cool, and Water Palace was one of my least favorite stages in Generations 3DS. But if I had to, I'd pick the following stages:

    Sonic 1: Jungle Zone
    Sonic Chaos: Gigalopolis
    Sonic Triple Trouble: Sunset Park
    Advance: Angel Island
    Advance 2: Hot Crater
    Advance 3: Chaos Angel
    Rush: Leaf Storm
    Rush Adventure: Sky Babylon

    Actually I'm glad Generations 3DS went with the Sonic Rush formula, because that was the only time I enjoyed it. The Rush series didn't to it for me.
     
  4. Dark Sonic

    Dark Sonic

    Member
    14,631
    1,610
    93
    Working on my art!
    I would have gone the handheld route as well, maybe with the following level order

    Sonic 1: Jungle Zone
    Sonic Chaos: Mecha Green Hill
    Sonic Triple Trouble: Sunset Park
    Rival: Fang or Knuckles
    Boss: Metal Sonic

    Advance 1: Snow level
    Advance 2: Music Plant
    Advance 3: Cyber level
    Rival: Gemerel
    Boss: Advance 2 XX zone boss

    Rush: Night Carnival
    Rush Adventure: Coral Cave
    Rivals: that final space level
    Rival: Blaze
    Boss: Rush 1 non aggression
     
  5. Techokami

    Techokami

    For use only on NTSC Genesis systems Researcher
    1,373
    81
    28
    HoleNet!
    Sonic Worlds Next
    Ah, a friend of mine and I had plans to make a Sonic Portable Generations fangame. We tried to pick levels that didn't share too many base tropes, while at the same time keeping the levels around where they would have been seen in the original games. Here's what we had come up with:

    Classic Era
    Bridge Zone (Sonic 1)
    Underground Zone (Sonic 2)
    Gigalopolis Zone (Sonic Chaos)
    Sunset Park Zone (Sonic Triple Trouble)

    Rival Stage: Metal Sonic in Atomic Destroyer Zone (Sonic Triple Trouble)

    Boss Stage: Classic Dr. Eggman's Laser Walker in Electric Egg Zone (Sonic Chaos)

    Advance Era
    Ice Mountain Zone (Sonic Advance)
    Music Plant Zone (Sonic Advance 2)
    Cyber Track Zone (Sonic Advance 3)

    Rival Stage: Shadow the Hedgehog in Battle Highway (Sonic Battle)

    Boss Stage: Ultimate G-merl in Nonagression (Sonic Advance 3)

    Modern Era
    Altitude Limit Zone (Sonic Rush)
    Pirates' Island Zone (Sonic Rush Adventure)
    Asteroid Coaster Zone (Sonic Colors)

    Rival Stage: Silver the Hedgehog in Colosseum Highway Zone (Sonic Rivals)

    Boss Stage: Modern Dr. Eggman's Nega-Wisp Armor in Terminal Velocity Zone (Sonic Colors)

    ...?
    Time Fortress Zone

    Final Boss: Time Eater

    We kind of ran out of steam due to attempting to ask the people on NeoGAF what they wanted to see... and we got a list of levels that looked no different than the other versions of Generations and we just felt... blegh. That, and the fact that I have a major rewrite planned for Sonic Worlds Delta that I want to do first, but where is my Fusion 3?
     
  6. Pengi

    Pengi

    Member
    1,891
    526
    93
    This is something I've thought about a lot.

    Sonic 1: Jungle
    Sonic 2: Aqua Lake
    Triple Trouble: Sunset Park
    Rival: Fang
    Boss: Killer Turkey-gou (Sonic Chaos end boss)

    Advance 1: Casino Paradise
    Advance 2: Ice Paradise
    Advance 3: Chaos Angel
    Rival: G-merl (in Route 99)
    Boss: Super Eggrobo Z (Advance 2 end boss)

    Rush: Huge Crisis
    Rush Adventure: Pirates' Island
    Rivals 2: Frontier Canyon
    Rival: Blaze
    Boss: Egg Wizard

    Not necessarily my favourite stage of each game, but I think this selection has a nice variety of level themes, including popular ones that didn't show up in the HD release (casino/carnival, ice). Also thought it was important to get a level with water for all three eras, but only one where it's the main theme.

    I've got a lot of affection for Sonic 1's Sky Base, but it wouldn't be very fitting as a "first level", and I wanted to play by the rules. Generations HD already had two Green Hill-ish levels, so I avoided them and went with Jungle, which has a pleasant tropical first level feel, but a different vibe.

    Objectively Advance 2's Music Plant and Advance 3's Toy Kingdom are their respective games' most unique offerings, but I'm kind of biased against them. They never really felt like Sonic levels to me, like locations that would exist in his world.

    It's sad how they really dropped the ball with the 3DS version of Generations. Level/Boss selections aside, the level design was really poor, and giving Classic Sonic the homing attack after the third level was a terrible choice. Sticking with the Rush-style gameplay for Modern Sonic was a good idea though, since it was a reflection of handheld Sonic games.
     
  7. Crappy Blue

    Crappy Blue

    Knuckles' Chaotix is a perfect game with no flaws Member
    Nice thought including the Rivals games to avoid having any games overlap with the console Generations, but, like... do those games even have levels worth remembering? Are those games worth remembering? If you had to look up Rivals or Rivals 2's zones just to have something to put in that spot, the answer is no.

    I like the idea of beginning with Sonic 1 (MD vs. GG) and ending with Colors (Wii vs. DS) in both versions of the game; it's got this sort of symbolic "this split into two paths but merged again at the end" feel to it. Also Colors DS is Rush 3 this is objective fact and cannot be disputed thank you for your time
     
  8. Given how much they botched up the level selection for Sonic Cities Generations, I'm sure more than half of these levels would have been ruled out by Sonic Team, but here's what I would have liked to see:

    • Sonic 1: Green Hill - Yeah, I know, it's been done to death and I'm sick of it too, but it was 100% justified in Generations, and to me, it would feel odd not to open up the anniversary game with it. That said, I would imagine at least half of classic Sonic's act taking place underground as a tribute to Act 2, awkward ass-dive into the caves and all. That would be a good opportunity for a mine cart section like Sonic 2's Underground Zone and Coral Cave from Rush Adventure. While we're at it, throw in a corkscrew near the end like the console version so Turquoise Hill gets some representation.
    • Sonic 2: Crystal Egg - I guess it's odd to include a final level here, but this is still one of the most unique settings in Sonic history with great music as well.
    • Sonic Triple Trouble: Sunset Park - We all know everyone's only putting this here because of the boss and its music.
    • Rival: Silver Sonic - 8-bit robotic Sonic, seems like a no-brainer.
    • Boss: Fang the Sniper - I honestly can't think of any memorable Eggman fights from this era (probably because there were so few). Fang and his Wile E. Coyote contraptions would at least be entertaining. The setting would be the Triple Trouble special stages, of course.

    • Sonic Advance: Angel Island - Hey, a level with pleasant aesthetics that can double as a Sonic 3 rep. Yeah, let's go with that.
    • Sonic Advance 2: Hot Crater - Sky Canyon is more unique, but the previous entry already fills the sky ruins quota. Frankly, I'm just including this one for the sake of variety. Most levels in this game are either bland or weird.
    • Sonic Advance 3: Route 99 - I'm including one city, but that's my limit. So long as the level design doesn't suck like the original. At least the music is catchy.
    • Rival: Gmeerelreel - Another recurring enemy with Sonic's proportions, and probably the most memorable thing from Advance 3.
    • Boss: THEY ALL SUCK

    • Sonic Rush: Night Carnival Night Carnival Night Visually pleasing, awesome music, fun gimmicks.
    • Sonic Rush Adventure: Pirates' Island - Okay, I lied, here's another city. In my defense, it's not a modern day city, and it's another unique trope as far as Sonic games go. Plus it has water, which none of my previous entries do.
    • Sonic Colors: Sweet Mountain - Including this here for all the same reasons Crappy Blue Luigi explained. No one cares about Rivals, and given my previous entries, this one's the most unique from this game.
    • Rival: Blaze the Cat - All of the rivals are obvious choices. Also, Vela-Nova!
    • Boss: I dunno, the giant mech from Rush where you run up its arm - I like the music and it feels appropriate as the penultimate boss. Maybe don't make it so cheap and annoying, though.
     
  9. Dark Sonic

    Dark Sonic

    Member
    14,631
    1,610
    93
    Working on my art!
    The only reason I didn't include Colors DS is because it has a main console counterpart with the same exact levels. Yes, Colors DS is Rush 3, but it's also a B version game that's overshadowed by it's counterpart.

    Rivals may not be as memorable, but it had some good ideas and tropes (And it was one of the first games in years to include Metal Sonic in any way outside of Heroes. Metal may be more commonplace now but from like 1995 to 2011 he made maybe 4 notable appearances). And if they felt so compelled to include a level from Sonic 06 in Generations proper then why not take a level from an oddball game. Besides, Rivals may not be as memorable to us, but what about Sonic fans from like the 2000s? We may have fond memories of Triple Trouble and Fang but they might not have a clue about either of those. They probably remember Rivals a lot more than the Game Gear titles.
     
  10. SHowin

    SHowin

    Member
    13
    0
    1
    I know this isn't exactly related to the whole level layout thing everyone is doing here but I think would have been nice if first few classic levels weren't just direct copies of the originals. Funfact: Mushroom Hill still has a checkpoint (that was originally for a mini boss) right before the goalpost. They literally changed nothing from the original design.
     
  11. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I assume there were more Sonic fans on Nintendo consoles than the PSP back in those days. They not only had access to the far more popular Rush series, but the Game Gear titles as well, courtesy of Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Gems Collection. Me, I always forget Rivals existed (I've never actually played it or knew anyone who did, plus it never seemed all that great to me), but I wouldn't be against its inclusion if it made people happy and the devs did something nice with it.
     
  12. doc eggfan

    doc eggfan

    Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Wiki Sysop
    9,676
    228
    43
    ACT
    GreatMegaLD, GreatSC3k, Great SG1k
    Ancient Era (1991)

    Bridge Zone (plus elements of Green Hill from 8-bit Sonic 1)
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Jungle Zone (plus elements of Meta Junglira)
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Sky Base Zone
    [​IMG]


    Aspect Era #1 (1992-1993)

    Green Hills (Act 1) > Sky High (transition with storm and hang glider) > Mecha Green Hill (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    Under Ground/Lava Powerhouse (Act 1) > Gimmick Mt./The Machine (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    Scrambled Egg (Act 1) > Crystal/Sleeping Egg (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]


    Aspect Era #2 (1993-1994)

    Gigapolis (Act 1) > Sunset Park (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Aqua Planet (Act 1) > Robotnik Winter (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Electric Egg (Act 1) > Atomic Destroyer (Act 2)
    [​IMG][​IMG]


    SNK era (1999)

    Secret Plant
    [​IMG]
    Cosmic Casino
    [​IMG]
    Gigantic Angel
    [​IMG]

    :colbert: