That makes more sense! We are in agreement 
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Oh, yeah. If Shadow doesn’t say “I’m gonna need a gun” in this I’ll be well upset!
I dunno, Chemical Plant Zone kicked my ass… granted i was like 7 but that drowning music haunts my soul
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I played some Sonic games over the past few months so I’ll share some thoughts on them.
Sonic Generations – wanted to revisit in preparation for the upcoming version featuring Shadow. I liked it a tad more than I did the last time I played. I think it’s a solid 4/5 – the levels are enjoyable to play through, and I even liked most of the bonus side challenges. There are good reasons to revisit stages too, with the red rings, score ranks, power-ups, and museum collectibles. I do still feel the 2D Sonic physics are pretty bad, but at least it’s playable. Funnily enough, I beat the final boss on my first try this time, so I guess I retained the memory of how to go about that. (Before, this was my biggest negative toward the game… It took me a ton of attempts to figure it out.) I’ll be curious to see if the new levels in the upcoming release will be up to snuff. And new content aside, hopefully it’ll be a smooth-running port with no serious bug issues when it comes out… (Asking a lot, I know.)
Sonic Adventure – I can play this one every year and never grow bored of it. This time I attempted the DX version for the first time (the Xbox 360 version), and yeah, it’s a bit jank compared to the Dreamcast original unfortunately. But I was curious about the mission mode they added, which I found fun until the last ten or so quests. I gave them all a fair shake, but decided to move on and just do more emblem-hunting. All the emblems are fun to get IMO, save for the harder fishing challenges. (I’m fine with Big’s campaign, since his regular levels are real easy.) I also considered going all-in on the chao garden for the umpteenth time, but I prefer Adventure 2 for that.
Sonic Unleashed – I had to give up after a few hours. I’m sorry, but I just can’t agree with the big movement in recent years for many Sonic fans to reclaim this game as actually the best and super underrated 3D Sonic game. The game has eight solid Sonic daytime levels (some of the best for the boost formula, I can agree there), but that’s only about ten percent of the game, if that. You’re spending way, way, way, way more time with the Werehog nighttime levels, which are a total slog. There’s also the unskippable cutscenes, and unfortunately this is likely the second-most annoying story for a Sonic game to me (Lost World is definitely first there). And I had completely forgotten about the really long airplane levels, which are an obnoxious onslaught of quick-time events. So yeah, I ended up spending a few hours figuring out how to add the Unleashed Project mod to my Steam version of Sonic Generations, and now I can just play the eight good levels of Unleashed whenever I want. I think if Sonic Team wanted, they could release those stages as DLC for Sonic x Shadow Generations, and people would be willing to pay $20 or so for it.
Shadow the Hedgehog – my first time playing this one (I Dolphin’d the Gamecube version). I had extremely low expectations, since it was called one of the worst video games of all time for so many years. But it turned out to be a regular ol’ bad game like a hundred thousand others. I found it playable at least, and was okay with it enough to go through three campaigns (a full neutral, a full evil, and a full good). No way I was going to play all ten main routes, but I think I’d honestly prefer to do that than play Heroes, or Lost World, or Sonic 4. But at any rate, this is basically a fiver Ratchet and Clank, and for most levels you’re forced to do tedious missions that make you explore every cranny and nook, so don’t expect much in the way of speed or platforming. I was curious about the story in this one (because of Sonic x Shadow Generations), and this might be a case of “so bad it’s funny.” Shadow is as impressionable as a baby bird in this one, and I don’t think even the writers of the game knew for sure what to actually set in stone for what he’s supposed to be. At any rate, a bad game overall, but there are enough decent bits in the gameplay for me to give it a 2/5. I won’t recommend it, but gamers need to play some real trash before calling this the worst game ever.
Which version of Unleashed did you play? Im told there are some pretty drastic changes to the game depending on the version you play
I played the Xbox 360 one (so the “standard” version, which was also on PS3).
I have yet to play the “demake” version that was made for the Wii (but also released on PS2, somehow). Apparently the levels are all different in “Sonic Unwiished,” so it’s technically its own game. I’ll have to give it a go one day, if I’m going to be a completionist for playing all the Sonic mainline games.
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Yeah. I think the wii one has more standard sonic levels or something
This is such a cool idea!
Two of the best, two of the worst. 
I don’t really understand the physics complains for Classic Sonic in Generations. I’ve never sound them to be an issue, and they’ve always felt perfectly fine to me. Maybe I’m not clever enough to notice the nuances, but having played the series since 1992 I just don’t see the issue. 
Adventure is in my top 5, maybe too 3, Sonic games. I love it so much. But yeah, the DX version nerfed it and most of the complaints people have about falling through floors etc actually come from that version, not the Dreamcast original.
That said, it’s worth taking the time to fix DX so it plays more closely to the Dreamcast version but with the (few) improvements that DX brings.
In regards to Unleashed, I agree with everything you say. I’ve never played Shadow myself, having not been into console gaimg during the time it came out, but I’m keen to try it. I haven’t yet as I worry trying to run a Dolphiin or X-Box emulator on my laptop would cause it to spontaniously combust. I’m fully aware of its reputation, but I’m still interested to give it a go.
Don’t get the hate for Heroes though. I remember really enjoying it, but so many people say it’s not great so I may have to revisit it and see for myself.
Glad you had a mostly good time. 
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I wouldn’t call it a huge issue since the levels are designed well enough with those physics in mind, but I do feel I have to play more cautiously in Generations than I do in the classic games (or Mania). It’s notably more “stop and go” than the 2D games, at least for me. As far as 2D Sonic gameplay goes, my ranking would be:
Classics + Mania > Superstars > Generations > Colors > Forces >>>>>>>>>> Sonic 4
And I guess the 2D segments in Unleashed would be around Generations or Colors – those parts go by quick though so it’s not a big issue there.
I did do that with my Steam version of Sonic Adventure a couple years back, and yeah, that’s the best way to play it outside of just playing the Dreamcast version. My favorite thing to mod back in was the DLC content from the Dreamcast, like the Christmas or Halloween stuff. Very nostalgic for me. =P Back then I thought that was the coolest thing in the world, being able to add new stuff to your games via that slow-as-hell dial-up internet. And it was all free too, imagine that.
Interestingly I did see a video recently where someone praised the Shadow game quite a bit, and the comments were filled to the brim with people who apparently genuinely love it, so I guess that shows even the most derided games out there will still have their fans. I think it’s interesting as a time capsule, at the very least.
I’d say most Sonic fans rather like Heroes (or at worst, find it “okay”), so don’t feel alone in your enjoyment there. I’ve tried getting into it several times over the years, but it just never clicks for me. I hate the control and movement for all three modes of gameplay, and found all the levels to be poorly designed for what the game was going for (with the exception of the very first level, which I’ll admit is fine — no surprise that was the pick for its Generations inclusion).
Great soundtrack, though, I’ll give it that! 
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I’ve no idea what equates to “most Sonic fans” anymore. The Sonic sub-reddit is an absolute ceaspoll (I guess there’s no real surprises there). YouTube is very mixed between absolute insane yobbos and more level headed, mostly older, fans.
I like to think I fall into the latter moreso than the former, although I still have all my hair, so maybe not?
Zing!