Current (or most recent) Gaming Wallpaper

I'm not oblivious to the fact that games like Sonic Generations exist to capitalise on nostalgia but there is a mutual consent at least as most Sonic fans are eager to see old games remastered using new technology to be able to see what might have been if those games had first been released in this era. To be a Millennial is to be in the unique position where your generation came of age at the same time as the technology that we use today so ubiquitously. Most millennials got to experience the tail end of a world without modern communication, the transition, and the end result, we are perhaps the generation most qualified to say whether things really did get better or worse - my personal answer on that is both, some things got better but others got worse.

Sonic Generations served its purpose well though, it allowed me and many others to take a step back and travel through time experiencing the evolution of Sonic games all over again with select stages from each game in the series rather than remastering each game in its entirety. Generations has many valid criticisms, I'm not a fan of how much the game forces you to complete side-quests in order to progress, that feels out of place for the Sonic games that I feel most nostalgic for. To me a Sonic game works best when you have the main story to progress through and everything else is there to flesh out the game with replay value if you want the extra challenge.

That criticism is something I also levy at Sonic Adventure 1 forcing players to complete each character's story separately with gameplay mechanics that were out of place for the time - Big The Cat's fishing levels are particularly egregious examples. Sonic Adventure 2 found a better balance with the game split into 3 main storylines that ultimately combined into one single narrative, and each side having 3 distinct play styles that kept the main stages relatively simple. Stage Select and additional missions for extra emblems was entirely optional. Generations missed the mark on that front I feel, when I have gone back in recent years to replay the title that was the one sticking point that kept annoying me, so many side-quest challenge gates I'd rather not complete.

In any case, the art style of Sonic Generations appealed to me greatly, especially switching back and forth between free roaming 3D levels to fixed perspective side scrolling levels contrasting Modern and Classic sonic. I've attached an image above that served as my wallpaper for quite some time, it's free from branding, a simple render of a landscape that resembles the Green Hill stages of classic sonic games but with more modern graphics.