SEGA this year seemed to be pressing Sonic.  No surprise considering it’s the 20th anniversary of their beloved blue hedgehog.

Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS, hands on with PS3 version (also on Xbox 360)) | Q4 2011

I was able to sit in on demonstration of Sonic Generations with the producer Takashi Iizuka.  We were told the entire game has been built from the ground up with both new Sonic fans and old in mind. The level watched was City Escape Zone which was from Sonic Adventures 2 on the Dreamcast.

First off we were shown original Sonic in the level in a 2D environment.  Since the original City Escape Zone was in 3D, they had to design the level from scratch in a new perspective.  Sonic’s movement seemed fluid enough and a throwback to the sonic of old.  What caught my eye was the level design, however.  They had the truck from the original level destroying your path, which forces you to go another route.  This effected the speed of which Sonic was able to travel the level slightly, but what can you do with a truck on your tail?  I’ll also note the sound effects were different, but close enough for most old Sonic fans to be happy about.  Although the music for that particular level reminded me of Rebecca Black’s Friday.

Then it was onto modern Sonic in a 3D stage.  From the get-go, I really felt this environment is Sonic Team’s bread and butter now a days.  The motion was even faster and Sonic zipped down the street with force.  When they’d make him zig zag around and homing attack enemies, it was clean and smooth.  The viewpoint will switch dynamically depending on where you’re looking, which seemed to be doing its job.  As for the truck in this version, they added saw-blades and made it more destructive.  While Mr. Iizuka was playing this version, I noticed many less mistakes on his part.

I stuck around after the demonstration to be able to see the stereoscopic 3D in motion on the PlayStation 3 version of the game.  The 3D although not necessary, added an obvious depth, but was shocking for some reason for me in a Sonic game.  Being able to see the buildings as you rush by them or ramps as you zoom closer was pure eye candy.  The effect looks wonderful and I couldn’t detect any ghosting, most likely due to the AV setup they were using to display the game.  Still, it was a treat to see and may be another game for 3D enthusiasts to check out.

Towards the end, a question was raised as to why the game wouldn’t be coming out on Wii.  The answer was that they wanted to make this as graphically beautiful as possible in HD.  Since the Wii doesn’t support higher resolutions, it was ruled out.  Interestingly enough, even though the Nintendo 3DS version was not shown I was informed that all the stages, sans Green Hills Zone would be different from the 360/PS3 counterparts.

At the Sonic BOOM event, I was able to get some hands on time with Sonic Generations.  They had both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, but I opted to play on the PS3 due to no waiting.  Aside from the graphics, it felt nearly like Sonic of old.  There were no modern moves such as the homing attack.  Just Sonic and his spin dash to get more speed to make it up ramps, turns, and jumps.  The speed seemed to fit and I was able to jump on spring platforms to enemy without issue.

From everything that I’ve seen so far, Sonic Generations is looking to deliver fan service for both sides of the Sonic coin.  It has the old school side for those who love retro Sonic, but it also has the newer to appeal to the expanded audience of the franchise.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo Wii version shown (also on Nintendo 3DS)) | TBA 2012

Once again Mario and Sonic are teaming up in one game in the Olympic spirit.  Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is being touted as having the most mini games than ever before.  This time, you’ll be playing in London, but more specifically the streets of London for many of the games.

The demonstration I got to watch mostly involved the Big Ben activities which aren’t based on the games.  Instead, they’re simply fun mini games for up to four players.  Before going into a game, you can wander the streets for people to talk to.  You can even choose to idle and wait for Big Ben to sound off to go into a game.  It’s up to you.  However, if you do decide to talk to the random people wandering around, you’ll unlock more mini games.

A few of the games that were shown off reminded me of Mario Party, but when I asked if that franchise influenced these, they denied it.  One amusing game was a version of Cops & Robbers.  This involved having two players be cops and the others being robbers.  In order for the cops to win, they must nab both robbers, so settling for one doesn’t cut it.  Each time you play a mini game you’ve also given one special ability to use during the round.  It’s best to use this wisely since you’ll not be able to refill or use it again.  There are also games where you’re not pitted against one another, such as Break Neck Marathon.  The object of this game is to get to the end and avoid being tripped up by random things in your way.

The last part of the demonstration showed off one of the Olympic Games, Rhythmic Rhythm.  This has you listening closely to the music and using the Wii Remote performing the actions on screen on queue.  It takes a bit of practice from what I could see.  To round out our time watching, we saw one Dream Game.  The Dream Games aren’t real games in the Olympics, but are fun activities to do with a group of friends.  We were shown Dream Equestrian and all four demonstrators were had to work together to pull a cart with Yoshi eggs inside.  This involved watching the screen for visual queues as well as keeping track of what’s ahead to get ready for turns.  It looked to take a great deal of coordination and cooperation, but fun to play with a good set of friends.

After watching the demonstration, I have a bit more interest in the game.  I’m not big on the Olympics, but party games with a fun atmosphere.  In that regard, this might fill the Mario Party void temporarily.

Non-Nintendo related games

Renegade Ops (Xbox 360) | TBA 2011

Smash TV meets RC Pro AM is as good as any way I can describe Renegade Ops.  The game is a top down vehicular shooter where you’re gunning with three other players in a romp around different environments.  Although the level I played was mostly in a jungle setting, there are water areas to traverse.

The goal of the game is to go around to different areas and destroy targets.  More targets you annihilate, the higher your score.  If you’re having difficulties in destroying targets because of others, you can always go to a secondary objective to earn points.  You’re given a standard gun to attack with, but can also obtain upgrades throughout each level.  Controlling the action at first takes a bit of getting used to and it’s not advisable to use the speed boost when learning.  I had the misfortune to tinker with the controls and end up flying off a cliff that lead to the beginning of the level.  This meant I had to drive all the way back up so I could rejoin the action.

For the players who are like me and have a hard time learning, there are three different difficulties, Casual, Normal, and Hardcore.  These choices were put into the game so that those who are just getting into it would be able to have fun with more experienced veteran friends.

The game is running on the Just Cause engine and runs at a smooth 60 FPS I’m told.  When playing the game, I couldn’t dispute the claim.  Firing was fluid and the explosions grand.  The dialog to break up the action was fitting, if a bit cheesy due to the comic book styling and voices.

Online play and leaderboards certainly make this a decent stand out for those looking for an explosive time.  The gameplay was dynamic and forgiving on the setting they had on display.  I imagine for those who want to become seasoned with the game, the Hardcore mode will provide even more hours of entertainment with friends.

Binary Domain (PlayStation 3) | February 2012

Although at first, Binary Domain looks to be just another Gears of War clone, it has more going for it than at first glance.  When I first gave the game a spin, it presented me with a scene with Dan Marshall wanting to take charge.  He’s given the lead and told to pick his squad.  This is where you’ll be able to choose who will belong.  Instead of simple names and pictures, you’re given that along with what job they do.  So for example you wanted a sniper on your squad, you could do that.

Once the squad was assembled it was time to go kick some tail.  With the game being set in the future, the enemies are robots who have taken over Japan.  The game uses a duck and cover system where finding refuge from gun fire is the best strategy.  When you’re hiding behind cover, you’ll be able to target enemies to attack, then peak out briefly to send a barrage of bullets their way.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s effective.  Taking down the robots will require more than a simple headshot or strategically placed shot, so a downpour of fire wasn’t too bad of an idea I thought.

I found that rushing generally gets you killed and your squad is unappreciative of that.  Speaking of your squad, while you are running around you can give them orders to follow.  If you get into trouble, they try their damnedest to bail you out, but there are some firefights one was not meant to rush.  Strewn throughout the level are shops that you can purchase weapons at.  I’m told no two shops are the same, so you’ll want to hunt around the levels for different load outs.

Although the main character seems a bit cliche wannabe commander to me, Binary Domain was a joy to play.  Giving squad commands and having the AI actually follow through with them was refreshing.  As was going toe to toe with enemy robots who don’t just fall over with one shot.  It may breathe new life on a the third person shooter genre or be a fun distraction.