The Story of Sonic Generations (& More) 

You know what could have been fun, from a characterization and nostalgia perspective, is to use the time travel as an excuse to bring back versions of the characters from before they met Sonic. So you have, like, a Tails who's still a bit of a scaredy-cat, a Knuckles who's still an antagonist, a Blaze who's still closed off and doesn't trust anyone, and so on. Use it as a showcase of "here's how all these characters used to be and how meeting Sonic changed them," another celebration of everything Sonic's done over the years.

37:25 You know, this quote and the whole Chillidog thing made think about how a really cool gift for sonic would be to have kind of like a fake adventure something akin to mario 3 where it's all just a theatre show and it's not an actual adventure. I think it would make for a cool anniversary story where all sonic friends make a fabricated adventure for sonic to go to for his birthday but something goes wrong or the adventure it's revealed to be fake or something like that.

Something I've always appreciated about Gens is the way the music for each level actually kinda tells its own little story throughout the game, in the way that it contrasts the perspectives of the 2 Sonics. Sky Santuary Act 1's remix is incredibly similar to its orginal composition, retaining its more ominous and climatic energy. But when you switch over to Act 2, it gets rid of the octave hop that made the original so threatening, so now it sounds breezy and carefree. It kinda demonstrates Sonic's growth in a way, with Classic still being intimidated by the Death Egg's presence, whereas Modern knows he's beaten it before and is confident can do it again. You can find this kinda stuff all over the game. Crisis City Act 1 uses bongos and bitcrushed guitars to make the level feel harsh and alien. Classic has never encountered a disaster on this scale before, in a timeline that shouldn't even exist. Perfect Chaos' remix of Open your Heart sounds way more washed out and mellow than the original. Sonic doesnt see Chaos as threatening anymore, he doesnt even need the emeralds to take him out this time. My favourite example is definitely Planet Wisp though. Similar to Sky Sanctuary, the Act 2 is a much more upbeat take on the more emotional original, demonstrating how Modern is confident in his abilites and can now allow himself to enjoy more of the natural beauty. Act 1, however, uses a lot of electric guitars and harsh synths, and in a way it kinda reminds me of a Bad Future track from Sonic CD. Its as if Classic Sonic sees Planet Wisp as another Little Planet waiting to happen, and wants to stop it before it'll come to that.

Generations’ backgrounds were so well designed that Sonic Team is still reusing em 😭

U know, ur talk about Generations not having a story made me realize how a lot of opinions on Sonic games generally revolve around preference as opposed to what it is. Of course u could argue criticizing a game for a nothing story is a valid critique, but when it comes to other points like "Sonic's stupid friends" or "Serious stories" or "Momentum", it really puts into perspective one of the main issues with Sonic discussion, & discussion surrounding art as a whole to be quite frank. People always say no one knows wut they want with Sonic, when the issue is quite the opposite. People do know wut they want with Sonic...to such an exaggerated degree they criticize games for not being 100% accurate to their personal preference & wut they believe "should" be a Sonic game.

how can you make a video on something that doesn’t exist?

*Sonic's friends show up to cheer him up in the final boss* Robotnik: "Who are they?" Eggman: "They are insignificant!" I always interpreted this scene as a wink wink nudge nudge at the Sonic's haters from the 2000's. "See? We removed Sonic's stupid friends! Are you happy now?"

The funny thing about classic sonic talking is that ian flynn tried to write a story with classic sonic with no dialogue and sega told him they didnt want people thinking classic sonic was mute

The thing about the chili dogs is that it isn't just Sonic's favorite food, It's become this weird staple food of like the entire Sonic universe. Rouge says Shadow and Omega go together like chili and hot dogs in forces, which is juat odd to hear a character like Rouge say i didnt even think she would mention a food like that, i feel like she would at least reference jewels or some other fancy dual thing as a very materialistic girl who is always seeking the most gourgeous of jewels. In Sonic Mania Adventures, when everything is said and done, they ALL eat chili dogs, not just Sonic, so do Tails, Mighty and Ray even though they had an opportunity to show Tails actually eating mint candies, but bc chili dogs are the Sonic food they all gotta eat chili dogs. And even in IDW, Tangle and Jewel both order a chili dog to eat. so it comes off like at times they want to expand chili dogs into this big cultural unifier like every single person likes chili dogs in Sonic, it's just normal! Its something i noticed and its very odd to me.

A Generations mod that replaces the skill sets with being able to choose your ally would be really cool. Surprised there hasn't been a attempt at that yet. Although they probably wouldn't provide any gameplay benefits in their current state since their abilities are heavily reliant on the level design in their missions, so they'd need new abilities to complement the normal levels, but I think it'd be worth it.

If things like the Shadow boss intro already hit this hard, could you imagine how much harder it would with a story argument like encountering the original Shadow?

I think it would be funny if Tails got Sonic a treadmill for his birthday. These gifts for Sonic could be jokes on his speed & Adventures or just actual gifts for him.

I never thought about how weird it is that tails gives sonic a chili dog for his birthday I don't think it's nearly as big of a problem since it's just meant to be a cute nod, but it would've been more charming if he got actual gifts Like idonno Vector gets him a foosball table, stuff like that I'm editing this in because it's been 30 minutes since I finished the video and I'm still thinking about the chilidog rant and following statement on it's importance, so I wanna say this just to give myself the peace of mind Nah, no you are just overthinking it. I care about Sonic too, but I'm not gonna have an aneurysm because the Twitter account posted a drawing of him holding a chilidog. You gotta pick and choose your battles, and I think Sonic's friends being ignored by the franchise for a decade has a bit more impact on my enjoyment of the individual narratives and series at large than like, Sonic having a favorite food and holding a hotdog in promo art. But I think it mostly bothers me because the point made at the end feels kinda hypocritical with how often you make fun of other fans for trying to rationalize all of the inconsistencies. Like how is the way they engage with the series stupid and worth mocking, but you getting mad about a hotdog is justified? Both seem kinda stupid. And there's nothing wrong with fully accepting that and choosing to do it anyway, if that's how you wanna engage with the series then that's fine. It just feels weird to repeatedly make fun other people for doing something similar, but then try and justify why it's ok for you to do it.

Damn that ending was straight up tough with the timing of Metal Sonic getting kicked by "Oshima Sonic" with you saying not caring enough lol. 🤣😅

I would like to reiterate that part of the story is after Sonic Colors, Eggman is just drifting through space and just...happens across a primordial ,feral, deity of time and space which is such a Sonic thing but not only that he some how ends up taming it and controlling it without explanation of how.

The funny thing about the ages is that I think they may not even have defined canon ages anymore, which is much better imo that stuff was always dumb. Also really I feel like the best gift for sonic would just be spending time with him, like hes a very non materialistic person who likes "doing" things more so than "having" things from how the games and even ignored by sega spinoff material portray him. Its a pretty consistant thing all things considered, he'd probably like something thats either an experience and finite or something that he can do with his friends. Ironically I bet he'd like a present sorta similar to what amy got for herself in that murder for sonic visual novel where its more like a themed event, but probably a bit more high action. Maybe like a game of high speed tag or something unno. Honestly by the end it felt more like he was into it with the train stuff than amy was at her own party.

I agree with you on the Chilli Dog thing. Though I do like to point out that in one of the Sonic Channel wallpapers of 2022, featuring Sonic, he received a pair of identical boots as a present from Amy. I also agree with age thing as some characters either don't act their age or do things that are beyond the usual skills of their years, like Tails, a supposed 8 year old, piloting biplane. Which is why I choose to not give my OCs ages.

See that's the problem, i wouldn't have gifted Sonic a Chilly dog, i would have gifted him a map, or a compas, something to help him on his travels, since he likes to travel, if at some point he decides that he wants to go somewhere, he can have those in hand. And i didn't thought about anything to come up with this, i just thought of what would Sonic need... It's not that big of a deal, but this shows how easy it was to think of something without efforts if you know the characters.

i think i kinda agree with you on the chilidog thing. I dont think chilidogs should be completely gone from sonic's characters but i dont like it being the only thing that he gets as a gift. I think they're are a lot of things that could be gifts for sonic that could be something he would like. Maybe Tails could've made him like a cool portable device to bring on his adventures like a grapple hook, or a wrist communicator. Or maybe tails makes sonic a hover board for sonic thats suppose to be his fastest hover board model yet or something like that. Maybe for Knuckles, maybe he finds an ancient map that reveals lost ancient cities that his people once visited but were lost to time, and he gives it to sonic, since sonic likes exploring and stuff(or maybe knuckles and sonic just go together as like a fun team adventure together idk). and maybe amy knits sonic a scarf or bakes a big cake or something idk.

Yeah honestly... "Who cares?" is almost as toxic as "who asked?" and I don't think people notice that this is the case. Saying "who cares?" in response to someone is basically saying they aren't a person. Its discrediting their opinion and what they think by saying it doesn't matter. Its frankly stupid. OBVIOUSLY _they_ care. _We_ care. _I_ care. Whatever the circumstance... SOMEONE cares.

That point about "who cares" at the end really spoke to me personally. When you brought up the chilidog stuff I thought about and said "yeah that's kinda dumb". It's small it's insignificant, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme but that could be said about so many things about this franchise. Who cares if the stories don't make sense, who cares that we shifted our characters and haven't had a real arc for any of them since 2006, who cares what happens to this blue rat and his friends. It doesn't matter. But that couldn't be further from the truth. It matters to me. It matters to the people who keep barking about character and story inconsistency. It matters to the people that aren't happy with Sonic's spines being shorter. It matters to the people who make stupid headcanons for everything Sonic Team didn't explain well or at all and expect us to not question. I care about Sonic, about everything Sonic, down to even the smallest of details. I fully acknowledge that I'm a weirdo or obsessed or even that I care too much about something his creators constsntly have at the back of their mind but that's part of the reason I care so much. If those guys don't care enough about this character and series I love so much, I want to.

"Who cares?" "I would argue those people don't care enough" Pariah carthatically cooked at the end. Agreed. I wonder if Sonic Lost World will soothe that specific itch of his... xD

This is genuinely the most interesting Generations video I ever watched. Well done Pariah Six Nine Five.

I remember when i got this game for the first time i did a slow run of green hill just to look at the backgrounds and take it all in. This is still the most beautiful game i own.

I agree with you about how the way this game goes about trying to "canonize" the older designs as the characters' younger selves is silly and doesn't make a lot of sense. Like, Classic Sonic doesn't follow the design conventions of other child characters such as Cream or Charmy, yet he somehow grew into the Modern Sonic we know today. This isn't even getting into the fact that Classic Eggman is already well into his adult years yet somehow grew a foot and had his proportions totally change, haha. I would have preferred they just own the fact these are simply different art styles; embracing that would probably give them more freedom to hop around from art style to art style as the game demands without going through the whole pretense of "this takes place where in the timeline" when that doesn't even matter too much in the long run. You use the word "meta" to describe how Sonic Generations is constructed, and honestly, I think the game could have leaned into that even more, at least in regards to what little story there is. Instead of doing this weird half-measure where do bring back the classic designs but we retroactively change their personalities to be these cutsey, younger versions, just embrace the insanity and make it about what the _Sonic_ series was like in the 90s clashing with what the series was like in 2011. Heck, for deep cut, maybe Eggman's motivation is that Sonic was chosen to be the mascot instead of him. Just treat like this standalone, isolated meta fever dream if you're that insisting on some sort of plot and cutscenes to contextulize the gameplay.

I'm here for the overthinking

27:12 And that's even what the sonic team got wrong with classic sonic. He can speak in OVA, Sat AM, sonic underground and even In the genesis games. Sonic CD has some lines of classic sonic talking: I'm outta here or Yeah!

So what was up with those CG animations (specifically the one with Sonic and Tails in Green Hill looking up at Time Eater) that were featured in the trailers for this game that implied there was gonna be more to that story?

I gotta say, your videos about Sonic Generations have really given me the warm and fuzzies. They just really remind me of why it used to be my favorite game of all time. Things have changed since then, I've grown a larger palette in games and have replayed a lot of the series more than I have Generations. But gosh, seeing you talk about everything with the game really just got me wanting to boot it up again just to have a real fun time with such an all around incredible game again. Taking in every bit of detail the game has to offer and all that. I loved getting to predict points coming up like how it's much more preferable to have a lack of story than an awful story like in the case of Colors or Lost World. It was especially cool seeing you point out how Sonic's friends actually have something to do in the missions, which made me think back to how whenever I first played the game, the missions I wanted to play the most were the ones with Sonic's friends. It just felt right. Thanks for helping me really look back on just how incredible Sonic Generations is in so many ways. It means a lot.

For as good as Generations is as a videogame, this game did irreparable damage to the Sonic IP in a way it acknowledges "Classic" and "Modern" Sonic as two distinct characters. Before this there was just Sonic, only a few crazy idiots on the internet complained about the green eyes. Imagine if Nintendo came forward and said Red overalls Mario from the NES was a separate version of the current blue overalls Mario. Not only that, but Sega neutered all the personality of Classic Sonic, transforming him into a boring soulless cute mascot. Even Naoto Ohshima's original sketches portray Sonic with some edge, this is character assassination.

I think you are overthinking the chili dog thing lol On the other hand, I think a good gift would've been a new pair of shoes or a scarf (teasing Boom, even though that was a reboot/spin-off... although now Sticks is canon... so, like you said... "who cares")

Extra thing about the Classic-Modern eye thing Not only do they gain colour but Classic has tan eyelids too

37:27 You got me there. I've been a Sonic fan for almost all my life, and I wouldn't know what to give Sonic... because I don't think he would need or want anything. I always assumed Sonic is self sufficient, he doesn't care about material possession. Someone here suggested a compass, or map, which I think are great gifts for Sonic. I wouldn't have suggested it because I assume when Sonic travels, he just goes, bare hand. When thinking about what a perfect gift for Sonic would be I thought on some practical, like going on an adventure, having fun with his friends. In fact, there a game concept I've been working on for a while, a sequel of sorts for Frontiers. In this game Sonic and his friends just go on a vacation. No world ending threat, no Eggman, just pure fun. The setting would be a litoral city, like Emerald Town, where Sonic can visit the urban area (which would have been built like a big open Sonic level) to talk with NPCs. You could even BS Tails recreating Cyberspace to create virtual obstacle courses for Sonic to run on and defeat some badies. This game would be a way for Sonic and his friend to destress after the events at Starfall Islands, and would give some time for Eggman to incorporate the Ancient's technology he stole to his own.

hearing you talk about Generations really borught me back to how excited I was for this game when it came out, buying it day 1, playing it non-stop until I'd dont everything in the game, and then playing even more to perfect every level. This is Sonic's peak.

Hello Pariah, I haven't watched the video yet and probably won't for a while as I'm watching all of your Sonic videos in order and am still up to your Sonic Adventure videos. I've seen a few of your other Sonic videos that popped up in my recommended and watched them some time ago now, but I remember the first video I watched of yours was "The Story of Shadow the Hedgehog" and it was the first time I'd really seen someone take a deep dive into these stories and analyze the themes and stuff like that. I really love the stories of the Sonic games (until Colors at least) and I was really happy to see someone with the same care and appreciation for them analyze them in ways I hadn't thought of before. I usually try to avoid videos about Sonic online unless it's from a creator I already liked prior because it's become the cool thing to hate on him. As silly as this sounds, when people used to make fun of Sonic (the stories especially) it would always be really hard to watch for me because Sonic's been such a huge pivotal force in my life that to me it was almost like watching someone mock a loved one or a person you really care about even though you can see they're trying their best with the utmost sincerity behind what they do. I would usually just dismiss these people because I knew Sonic never meant much to them anyway or they were just missing the point. Eventually, I saw a few more of your videos on the stories of these games and unfortunately I lumped you into that category as well. (I think it was your video on Sonic 06's story where you were ripping into it a bit that made me reach that conclusion.) I'd still look at your videos from time to time and I was quite eager to see your video on Sonic Colors' story because I really despise the tone the franchise has taken ever since Shiro Maekawa left and I wanted to hear your thoughts. However what really won me over was your video on "What is about Sonic?" because it was at that point I realized how much you really do care about Sonic and you were echoing a lot of what I thought as well. You even said some things that made me think differently about him, specifically the stuff about breaking the fourth wall. I decided to go back and watch your Sonic series from beginning to end with this newfound understanding of how you felt, and whilst I don't agree with very much of what you say on the games, specifically spanning Sonic Adventure - Sonic and the Black Knight, I can tell you really do care and are very passionate about what you do. Although it's rare, I sometimes see you get a pretty scathing comment but I hope they don't get to you because these videos are the best Sonic related videos on the platform. I hope you never stop making them and even though I probably won't agree with everything you say, or possibly much at all, it's really cool to hear your thoughts and feelings because it's from someone who wants to see Sonic be the best he can be and not because you want to tear it down for the sake of viewer engagement. I know the phrase "Sega, hire this man" and "Sega needs to see this!" get thrown around over nothing on this platform, but I think your videos are the only time I could ever say such things and mean it. Also, I don't know if you have plans to do anything on Sonic X but I'd love to see that. I remember you said in a comment that your Sonic Adventure story video was going to have a section on the X adaptation but it got cut for copyright but even if you don't use the footage I'd be interested to hear your thoughts/analysis. Even though it's not canon, it's probably the only time we get to see the game versions of these characters in a show, unlike with Sonic Prime and such where they all act too different. Anyway, sorry for my long sappy comment but I felt bad when I saw some of the more negative comments (not that there are many) and decided to try and balance it out. Thanks for reading!

How ironic that the most nuanced discussion about Generations' story is about Sonic himself. Fitting for *the* Sonic celebration of all time.

In Sonic Generations he also got a cake. Him getting a chili dog all the time is just to portray his love for chili dogs which is similar to the cartoons they’re inspired from. I don’t think it’s a problem. It just means he’s a simple guy. Because this has also bled into the movies as well as Sonic Prime. Heck. For my birthday sometimes I don’t really know what I want except a lasagna so… Also that response to the possibility of someone saying it doesn’t matter hits too close to home and kinda sounds like when a manipulative can’t admit that it’s just a them thing. Especially when you have to say “I’m sorry I actually care about the characters. Maybe everyone else doesn’t care enough”. That’s a bit insulting and unnecessary. Especially if you’re comparing the chili dog gag that is inconsequential to the character in every other way to things like entire characterizations of a full cast which is consequential. It’s like you forgot that “It Doesn’t Matter” is also engraved in Sonic as well. If it weren’t for chili dogs, they just wouldn’t show Sonic get a gift. It would just be a get-together. A party. Either that or they’d jump to the next established (but much less so established) thing and give him a new pair of the same sneakers. Or a new race car (which fans would criticize since he can run, showing they don’t actually pay attention to what his hobbies are anyways.) Sonic, on a personal level, is a mystery. That’s always been a thing. That’s why none of the other characters can ever figure him out.

Can't agree with the chili dog complaints. I almost always eat my favorite food on my birthday.

Would've been cool if for his birthday, Tails got him a new snowboard and he uses that snowboard in City Escape Act 2.

It wasn’t obvious that the Eggman would be controlling the Timeater until it was revealed. This was the era where the big boss monsters still tended to exist along with Eggman and be the Super Sonic boss after him, especially in 3D games.

Having sonic friends in the skill shop would've been a beautiful idea

4:05 I thought I was the only one who thought like that.

ik its small but i appreciate that the characters speaking is in another language, so it doesn't clash with you talking and becomes a distraction, nice touch!

So Classic Tails can talk, Classic Eggman can talk, but Classic Sonic can’t? Sure, the lack of dialogue was definitely a stylistic choice in later games, but for this game specifically, it feels more like a cop-out; like they couldn’t find a voice actor to perfectly replicate every childhood interpretation of what Sonic ‘should’ sound like (Uhh, hello? Takeshi Kusao? Masami Kikuchi? Martin Burke???) so they didn’t even try.

The correct naming conventions are "Sonic" and "Santiago" Jokes aside I think we should call 90s Sonic "Heisei Sonic" and modern Sonic "Millennium Sonic" cause that's the naming conventions Godzilla fans use.

Boy, this video was pretty well-timed, huh?

As a Sonic fan from the 90s, it was so cool to see all the retro stuff again. Especially the return of Dr.Robotnik.

On the issue of "Classic" vs "Modern" terminology: I'd personally prefer if there wasn't ANY distinction between the two, outside of Generations. He's just always "Sonic." The only differentiation is just the art style he's depicted in. Plenty of other game franchises do this. Mario is always just "Mario." He's small and round in Super Mario RPG, but he's naturally taller in Mario Oddessy, but there's no "Classic Mario" or "Modern Mario."

26:21 Not to mention Cream also has colored eyes

I never thought about Gens being basically an idealized depiction of all these zones and bosses. When I look at this game I think you could tell me that it came out long after 2011 and I would genuinely believe you. The amount of respect these zones get when in reference to the originals while also breathing new life into it and expanding on it is legitimately amazing. And back to the idealized point, I think what shows this off best are the 06 reps. Crisis City feels like them just being like "yeah remember how cool this was" and Silver from 06 and this game are like night and day. The things he does with his psychokinesis in this game really shows how powerful this guy is. The only one I think falls a bit short is the Egg Dragoon because the context of that fight in Unleashed was emmaculate but it's still good and provides a little thing of "what if Sonic wasn't a werehog fighting this thing". Honestly maybe that's why Sonic told himself the future was good, he was riding off the hype of these idealized versions of past adventures.

I'd probably get Sonic a red camera. Red because its his favorite color, and a camera so he can take pictures of all the adventures he's on and remember them.

One thing thats also starting to get me is that now, thanks to Tailstube, Classic Sonic now actually is called "Classic Sonic" in-universe now. Its like.... why? Why is that necessary?

Ngl my theory for the Crisis City part is that whatever the main hub world is called contains all possible locations from different timelines that have been explored by someone from the "main" timeline, even if their exploration of it were to be completely retconned through time travel fuckery. So it's there, and therefore Sonic had to travel through it because unlike everything else, it's already broken before the time eater comes along.

Bro started as "Oh... guys you got me this time, lol" and ends on a damn mic drop like its nothing, what a guy

It really only took the 2nd game in this style, to have characters literally "flapping their gums in a void"

another good review. honestly this channel has better sonic content than somecallmejohnny , you’re definitely gonna be huge in the sonic community one day. keep up the good work 💪🏾❤️

The thing about Chili Dogs being Sonic's birthday present made me remember that in 2022,there was artwork on Sonic's birthday on Sonic Channel that showed Sonic getting new shoes as a present,which I think is neat.

Generations is a great Sonic game in the sense it gave the gameplay at the end of the day. Like I love a good Sonic story, i.e., the Adventure games, but Sonic as a game was always about good platforming and an emphasis on speed and mobility. Generations gave us that with revamping the boost mechanics and bringing back Classic Sonic in a modern context.

damn pariah you don't have to go so hard over the chili dog. good vid though. most sonic fans definitely do like to pick and choose what aspects they care most about in the franchise.

33:40 I don’t think they ever specified that unleashed and colors were 2 separate timelines and considering that current sonic (frontiers sonic) recalls events from unleashed and colors as well as games prior to them I think it’s safe to say that they are both in the same timeline

34:05 sonic team definitely likes playing around with time travel a lot even before CD the original concept of Sonic 2 was a time travel adventure across west side island

*Regarding the "Sonic Birthday gift" segment,* I could think of plenty of things they could've gifted him for Generations. Sonic likes music and is into DJ'ing a lot, so one of the guys could've given him some records to scratch with or a soundboard to mess with (even a Yamaha product for the really nerdy easter egg reference. Something Tails could've done). Sonic likes vehicles and other various modes of transportation, so throw him some skates, upgrades to tune up his cars or a new plane. Sonic likes reading and chilling, so I can easily see the girls giving him some books, some ear muffs, and tickets to vacate at, especially since he also likes adventuring. Sonic evidently likes the color red primarily with accents of green or blue going by what he usually wears and what he owns, so make whatever gift you got into that color for that extra bonus. But the thing is, that'd take doing research, and clearly by that point in the franchise, the writers / Sonic Team weren't doing ANY of that besides the most surface level, "Americanized" depictions of him. Chilli dogs was going to be the only answer because it's just too easy. *Regarding the "Classic Sonic" segment...* trust me, I feel the same way. Again, he's only the way he is there because it's literally the most surface level, "Americanized" depiction of him, and maybe it's the cynic in me, but I feel it's only "Americanized" because it's literally just so easy to get it wrong that way, and NOT because they were actually focusing on any specific localization to depict him as. Anyone who thinks Classic Sonic couldn't talk or was never intended to clearly never heard of SegaSonic the Hedgehog (arcade). You don't even have to go by the JP Sonic 1-3 manuals. The arcades (and CD) were blatant proof that if the tech was there, Sonic Team was ready to have that mofo speak asap. *Regarding the "Sonic's age / Adventure" segment,* that one I'll have to disagree with. Although never specified, a significant amount of time DID pass by between Sonic 3 in Adventure where they are all older. It's mentioned in the manuals and is brought up through occasions by Amy and Tails in-game (Amy reflecting on CD and life in general being so boring compared to what it used to be with Sonic / Tails reminiscing Sonic 2 as if years had passed since then). This is where the ", Hey! long time no see" meme stems from. It was a clever way for Sonic Team to incorporate the fact that Sonic, as a franchise, was literally missing during the entire Saturn console era, so they incorporated that long 4-year time span between Saturn's release and Dreamcast release into Sonic Adventure's canon as a form of "shonen time skip" to explain what's Sonic been up to during slightly before the events of Sonic Adventure. When mentioning Classic Sonic = 16 / Sonic Heroes Sonic = 15, we have to take into account that Sonic Heroes was quite honestly the "grandfather" of the Sonic retconning of lore. It wasn't just Sonic's age that changed, but The Chaotix as a whole, as well as Shadow somehow surviving due to a "crash landing" further explained in STH (although SA2 literally states the Chaos emerald over usage causes Super Shadow to "disappear" / implode as his death which was the gleam of light Super Sonic saw as he died) and Metal Sonic just magically gaining copy abilities and being "Neo" for no reason in general. I never really took the changes seriously by that point, personally. Anyway, just some things I wanted to share. Pretty chill vid as always

41 minutes, nah, i am clapping my hands to you 👏

Sonic's friends being kinda like sub weapons is kinda cool.

For a game celebrating Sonic’s 20th anniversary and with its gameplay built off unleashed, you’d think we would’ve gotten a similar story on the same scale as unleashed but I guess wrong time cause of how perception of the series was around the development of gens, Giving gens a story alone is worth giving it a remake

Just get Sonic and airplane or a car. He likes those!

Lol, I liked that ending. "No matter how much you love Sonic, you DONT. LOVE HIM. ENOUGH.

Sonic has a weird obsession with chill dogs

I'd argue Advance has a story; Eggman has conquered Angel Island and Sonic and co. journey up there to take it back

I personaly would give sonic new running shoes for his birthday since he likes running so much, I would also like to her about that seposed confusing sonic timeline you speek of

The Time Eater had so much potential as a villain

22:45 i wouldn't exactly say that for now, at least they're letting other characters be playable again. Its safe to say that they're going to stick with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy being the default playable characters as its been established from since Amy being playable starting from Origins Plus, then all of them on the Frontiers Final Horizon DLC, Superstars, and Dream Team. The latter game having Rouge and Cream playable for the first time in decades so tbh they are trying a little bit more now with the other characters than they ever did in the whole 2010s combined

They bring Chili Dogs into the canon but don't bring in the SATAM characters...

My only real criticism with the "plot" of Generations is that I think they could have used it as a vehicle for the celebration that the rest of the game is doing and they didn't. Like, they put so much work into recreating Green Hill and showing us what an updated version of the stage looks like and celebrating it's existence, and then when Sonic arrives there in the story he's like "Yeah this place is kind of familiar I guess" and that's it. All the cool updated stages that we see in gameplay are juxtaposed against a literal empty white void where the story happens, what little acknowledgements the characters make to the areas they're revisiting and the games they're referencing while they're actually doing it all but vanish after the genesis stages (aka the safe era), and when it's all said and done the big finale is a generic monster of the week that Eggman found on the way home from Colors. I think allowing the characters just a little more leeway to interact with the premise would have gone a really long way here. Imagine if the Sonic and Tails reflected on how they haven't been to Chemical Plant since the first time they met. In the Unleashed stage there could have been a scene where Sonic eats an ice cream cone and reminisces about Chip. The Time Eater boss could have been a medley of past Super Sonic bosses, and all the characters watching could have chimed in about what happened the first time around. At the end of the day it's not a huge deal, there are certainly other Sonic games that have done a far worse job executing their premise, but I still think there's some genuine ludonarrative dissonance here. In a game where nearly every aspect is dedicated to celebrating this character and this franchise, the story doesn't give a shit, and that sucks.

32:33 From what I've seen the reasoning fans have come up with are that Crisis City (and by extension Stardust Speedway Bad Future) exist because the Time Eater's so powerful that it can bring back events that have happened at some point in time even if they have been erased. I'm not sure if that makes sense and it was definitely not what Sonic Team had in mind when making Generations (I say that as someone who uses this as a headcanon so what do I know)

Let’s be fair, them acknowledging 06 after it was wiped from the timeline first happens in Colors DS with Silver and Blaze feeling like they met each other before. Which DS is probably cannon since it gets referenced a lot.

As a random thought, I think it would be a bit interesting to have Classic Sonic be a bit quiet, but be well-spoken and sometimes speak in philosophical prose whenever he did (a bit like Ferb in Phineas & Ferb). I think that would provide some comedy with the supposedly younger and less experienced Sonic being more formal while also keeping the "quiet sprite Sonic" and "Sonic who talks in the manual and box art" thing together and also contrasting with Modern Sonic.

17:33 i think its cool but one jarring thing is i wish they tagged along without warping but i agree

31:23 nah I have a better one classic sonic as Sonic and modern sonic as slightly cooler sonic

I think neaat gifts for Sonic could be things that relate to some of the artwork that showcases Sonic doing certain things he would enjoy like a guitar, headphones and a speaker, a motorcylce, a balloon trip, even being cheeky and giving him a Genesis (and for the 3ds version if they wanna be really daring, they could give him a Nintendo). they could use the Jam screen savers as references too, just a thought.

In this food. His food. Life's an open book.

I remember seeing a theory that the Time Eater is the remnants of Solaris. Something like that. Which hey, I like the idea. It’s not what it is but I still like the idea.

Y'know what i would've got sonic for hs birthday? A compass, so that he always knows what direction he's running in, in case he forgets (that would lead to a cute character moment🙂🙃🙂)

Saw your posts on Twitter. I assume it has to do with the statement about chili dogs becoming the only food Sonic is ever allowed to eat and it being a problem for Sonic's characterization. To preface, I fully agree with you. Sadly, as much as I prefer Sonic's JP characterization, it can't be denied that it either flew over people's heads (due to localization changes), is conflated with US characterization or is ignored or less considered because that's not the Sonic people grew up with or came to know. So to them, Sonic has always been its own person and not a metaphorical character (or that Sonic shouldn't be purely metaphorical and him having personality is not detrimental or contradictory). Therefore, if he's his own person, it's completely reasonable for him to have a favorite food, because that makes a fictional character feel more real -- look, he has a personal preference, like we do! And it being the only food he ever eats contributes to brand recognition -- TMNT love pizza, Scooby loves Scooby Snacks and, naturally, Sonic loves chili dogs. And you can follow it up by something like "what's wrong with brand recognition? everyone does brand recognition stuff, it's a normal thing for creators to do!". And if you argue that doing brand recognition of such kind is detrimental to Sonic's character (Sonic is a free spirit, why does he limit himself to only one meal?) -- "well, that's JP Sonic you're talking about! no one cares about JP Sonic as much as you do, so no harm's done to any other interpretation of Sonic!". (Which, again, I consider JP Sonic's lack of food preference to be a better trait for his character -- he always tries new things, he's always exploring, it makes sense for him to not have a preference. The only thing US Sonic having a favorite food does is making Sonic more of his own person, which is a valid approach but not something I find as interesting as him not having a favorite food even if he wasn't metaphorical. Plus it is kinda made moot by the fact that it's the only food Sonic ever eats in promo arts, thus making it a part of a brand, which de-personalizes Sonic in my opinion -- a person isn't a brand.) So, yeah, it's just how it is with current Sonic, as far as public perception goes: he's not a metaphorical character, he's an action superhero with his own backstory, preferences and character arc, including having a favorite food as a personality trait (that's been established in early US works, so it is also contributed by nostalgia factor). And since Sonic is also a recognizable brand, he has to have his favorite food featured in any art that celebrates his franchise's birthday. Brand recognition is something that people will defend as a normal thing, because that's what everyone does, why would you take issue with a normal everyday thing? (Well, maybe because we care about artistic vision and integrity more than about marketability of a product, so if marketability comes at the expense of artistic vision and integrity, of course we won't be happy about it. Like you said, the problem isn't only with chili dogs -- it's just yet another symptom of Sonic Team and Sega just not giving shit about Sonic as a creative work. If they want to do a thing they consider to be marketable, they'll do it, continuity and characterization be damned. Chili dogs is comparatively a lesser problem, but it's still a symptomatic one.) So, okay, sure. This is the Sonic we have now. He's an action superhero with his own personality and background. It's a valid approach. Question: how is this Sonic different from other superheroes and action cartoon characters? What makes him stand out from the rest, aside from his visual design and association with video games? I genuinely want to know, and I know I won't get that answer from you since you're not a fan of US Sonic, but I wonder if there are any RU-vidrs or essayists who go in-depth on that topic without being overly/outwardly emotional about it (part of the reason why I enjoy watching your videos). But apart from that, something else I find peculiar about the reception to your videos is how people seem to think you're bashing fans for liking non-JP-faithful Sonic interpretations. I've seen some tweets where people go "oh my god, those JP purists are so obnoxious, you guys just hate Sonic, please just shut up and let people enjoy Sonic". But I've never seen you go out of your way to say that people should not enjoy non-JP Sonic, or personally attack non-JP-Sonic fans -- you're just sharing your own opinion and how you feel, and you said numerous times that there's nothing wrong with enjoying non-JP-Sonic stuff -- it's just that you personally don't like it and that's it. Most likely, those people take issue with how you present your opinions -- you don't hold back about not liking something, and some may interpret that as you bashing their favorite things, thus bashing them as well. Which, to be fair, can be a problem with how you present your views, and it can be mitigated by being more mild with expressing your dislikes for certain things (i.e. instead of "X is stupid" you say "I'm not exactly a fan of X for a couple of reasons", or something to that effect). But at the same time... There's nothing fundamentally wrong with not liking or even hating something about creative decisions, especially if you have a valid argument to support that viewpoint. And there's nothing wrong with publicly expressing your dislike. I recognize that and thus I don't mind you being very upfront about your feelings towards Sonic (in fact, I find it refreshing in comparison to overly positive or overly negative RU-vidrs -- plus I like JP Sonic and I don't like superhero stuff, so that probably helps) -- even if I happen to disagree with you, I'd still recognize that it's just your opinion, I don't have to get upset about it (if anything, I could write a comment expressing my disagreement in a civil manner). But for some reason, publicly expressing a dislike equates to going out of your way to bash fans who like the thing, so you're "obnoxious" for simply stating how you feel. Even though you never addressed them directly, even though you're objectively in the minority (JP Sonic is dead, people who like US-ified interpretations of Sonic are in the majority, there's literally no threat of their interpretation of Sonic going away and there are plenty of people supporting it -- what's a small community of JP ""purists"" will do to that Sonic or the fans liking it, especially if they're keeping to themselves most of the time?), even though you went on record that you don't mind people liking other takes on Sonic. Like, if you don't like JP fans not liking other takes on Sonic, then just don't watch content of JP fans, there are plenty of other fans that celebrate the Sonic as it currently is and it's clear that this is the approach Sonic Team would take for the foreseeable future. We just want to talk about what JP Sonic was and if we can re-create it with fan works, or re-tell existing Sonic stories with more JP-faithful approach. Just because someone expresses a dislike on the Internet doesn't mean that they personally attack you -- so long as they don't actually do so when they're expressing it. I don't think you do, so what's the problem? At worst, it's the tone issue, but nothing beyond that.

Random thought about the gift thing, I'd get him a car or plane. Sonic seems like the antique fast collector thing idk.

26:04 this was actually explained in the comics! (fleetway I think) Where sonic got his green eyes by getting exposed to so much Chaos Energy that his eyes just stayed permenantly green

Get that hedgehog a 6 pack of socks for his bday

The reason why Crisis City is in Sonic Generations i because the White Space is supposed to be where all "erased" timelines go (that's why Stardust Speedway bad future is ALSO in there)

It bothers me so much that Blaze remembers Crisis City when you talk to her And I know people came up with the explanation that she went to another dimension in 06 so she wasn’t affected but I’m more willing to buy into “sonic team just didn’t really think about it”

What if they did a deep-cut and gave sonic something red (his favorite color as described in old character bios) like a red remote race car or a toy replica of the tornado, since he also likes fast things. Or maybe they could have gave him a red electric guitar or something, idk lol.

Real talk about how I feel regarding the Sonic games: The mainline Sonic games under Yasuhara were great, while the 8-bit titles and spin-offs varied greatly in quality. After Yasuhara was all but kicked out of Sonic Team by future criminal Naka and replaced by Iizuka, mainline Sonic games started getting weird, sort of losing focus. After Sega's exit from the home console market the Sonic series essentially lost its way. And with Sonic Generations, the franchise officially entered the zombie state, where it completely stopped evolving, doesn't take the protagonist to new places that attempt to have a coherent topography and history, doesn't introduce brand new characters with brand new story arcs... Sonic is Mario, Green Hill Zone is his Mushroom Kingdom, Tails is Luigi, Amy is Peach, Knux is Toad or whatever, Shadow is Wario...

Y'know my headcanon for why the characters got coloured eyes is due to their proximity to the chaos emeralds, because i noticed classic super's eyes went from being all black to green, then after sonic got green eyes his eyes in super go red. Same for knuckles with the master emerald and we'll just say super tails exists for tails and from then on idgaf

After seeing Sonic Prime, I guess Sonic's friends don't know how to give gifts. Amy presented a random tree on his last birthday and I guess Tails took him saying that he rather get a chili dog too literally.

Idea for Sonic's future gifts- cruise ship tickets! He likes to travel, and Adventure showed us he can relax if he feels like it. Why not a fun summer time vacation!

Hey pariah, im curious. Are you planning in covering the lego dinensions sonic pack in one of your sonic series, like the story of sonic, or so ic was always good? I understand its really only one level and a hub world, part of a gane that didnt even have anything to do with sonic, but its a really neat little game that deserves some attention (and its surprisibgly relevant bowadays, considering lego and sonics current collaboration). And again, while it has only one actual levek to it, its got a decent, albeit short, story that id love to see your opinion on. Not to mention, all you could probably gleam from all of the extra missions found in the hub world, like shadow keeping marias memory alive by starting a garden.

Cool!

Idea for if the other characters were playable: they'd all be clones of Sonic with their own twists. When Boosting in the air, Tails would move upward. Knuckles would glide(we've already seen this as mods). Amy? She'd have the Power Stomp, and base it on the Air Hammer from Sonic Forces(and kind of in Frontiers if you use Cy-hammer in the air). Classic Tails would play as you'd expect. Classic Metal Sonic could either have the Peel Out Move from CD, OR be essentially Classic Sonic but with the ability to Boost. Cream would play like Tails but have access to her Ring Ability from her mission. Rouge would be a hybrid between Tails and Knuckles: when Air Boosting she'd fly, but her descent would be slowed(kind of like Princess Peach). Espio's Boost would make him Invisible. It's only visuals but not every difference could be super unique. Shadow's homing attack would be faster. Blaze would have Fire immunity and get more points than Sonic during her tricks. Vector would be a nerfed Modern Sonic, unable to slide. Not a big difference, but it would make certain routes impossible, adding a form of difficulty. Charmy would be a Rouge clone, and Silver wouldn't lose altitude while Air Boosting, and his homing would have slightly more range.

6:16 That's why Sonic Team still uses this version of Green Hill as background art on the Sonic website

With regards to the chili dog thing specifically…I think this is another case of Sonic Team being unwilling to utilize this little detail to its fullest potential. So here’s an idea…instead of Sonic’s friends getting him just *one* chili dog…why not get him *multiple* chili dogs? With each chili dog being made with unique ingredients and methods that give us more of a glimpse into not only Sonic’s friends, but also the world and locations they hail from? For example, what if Knuckles’ chili dog could be made from rare plant-based Ingredients found only on Angel Island? And what if we also discover some flavor text that tells us how Knuckles found the recipe to begin with, and the journey he had while learning how to make the chili dog? Moreover, what if these unique chili dogs could be incorporated into the gameplay as limited use, consumable powerups that give buffs to Sonic’s speed, jumping, attack power, etc.? Maybe even make the process of obtaining these chili dogs into their own optional side missions, similar to how the characters themselves are handled here in Generations? Sure, it still kinda plays into the tired marketing gimmick of “Sonic’s favorite food is chili dogs”, but at least it’s being utilized in a way that manages to be both funny and uniquely insightful for the characters and the world they inhabit. Not to mention it gives players a gameplay-based incentive to collect them.

I want a Sonic Generations 2 that takes place after Generations 1 and before Lost Worlds that explains how the Robotniks escaped the void. I think it would be cool to incorporate levels of future, present and past Sonic games. Kinda like Crash 3. But with games from the Game Gear, PS2, Wii, etc. And other playable characters like Tails, Knuckles and Shadow.