McWhertor, Michael (May 25, 2011). "Sega's Shinobi and Sonic Generations Outed for Nintendo 3DS". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017 . Retrieved September 29, 2017. Good, Owen (November 3, 2011). "Run Green Hill Zone in Under 1:50 and Collect Some Nice Sonic Merch". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017 . Retrieved October 3, 2017.

Sonic Advance (2001) · Sonic Advance 2 (2002) · Sonic Pinball Party (2003) · Sonic Battle (2003) · Sonic Advance 3 (2004) · Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (2006) The Classic Era levels for Classic Sonic are directly taken from their respective games, while he instead gets new maps in the console/PC version. The launch trailer for the 3DS version has a small mistake. During the Modern gameplay showcase, a clip from Classic Water Palace is shown. Out of the seven stages in the game, three of them are the first ones in their respective original games, those being Green Hill, Emerald Coast and Tropical Resort. Devil's Details; Sega. "Sonic Generations Collection on Steam". Steam. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017 . Retrieved September 29, 2017.Petitte, Omri (March 21, 2013). "Sonic Generations mod adds most levels from console-exclusive Sonic Unleashed". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016 . Retrieved October 20, 2016.

Splechta, Mike (December 28, 2011). "GameZone's Game of the Year Awards Day 2: Technical Awards". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012 . Retrieved December 30, 2011. a b c d e Bramwell, Tom (November 2, 2011). "Sonic Generations Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016 . Retrieved September 30, 2017. This game features Water Palace from Sonic Rush. It is the only version to a feature a level from a handheld game instead of the exclusive console games.Cullen, Johnny (October 3, 2011). "Sonic Generations Japanese release pushed up a week". VG247. Archived from the original on December 6, 2011 . Retrieved December 15, 2011. The console/PC version of Sonic Generations draws heavy inspiration from the 3DS version that it prominently has characters other than Sonic, Tails, Eggman and its in-game content is accessible via an in-game map much like the DS version of Sonic Colors. Gameplay in Chemical Plant, the game's second level. Classic Sonic's levels are played from a 2D perspective ( top) while Modern Sonic's are played from a 3D perspective ( bottom). This is the first modern Sonic game on a handheld Nintendo system not to have Boost Mode. It is also the first where boosting through enemies is "seamless," not causing a split-second pause like in Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PS2) or the DS games.

There are also fewer stages in total, with the Dreamcast and Modern Eras having only two levels instead of three. The Goal Posts at the end of Classic Sonic's levels use a different pose for him than the console/PC version. It is not animated, and the Eggman side of it uses Modern Eggman's face instead of Classic Eggman's. Classic Sonic's gameplay is similar to that from the Sega Mega Drive titles. He can run, jump and perform an Spin Dash as his basic moves. These Acts end by rotating a Goal Plate showing his face, similar to the earliest Sonic games. Sterling, Jim (September 8, 2010). "Sega: Sonic Colors is for everyone!". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016 . Retrieved September 17, 2017.In the console/PC version, Omochao works as a guide by advising the Sonics, while in the 3DS version, Tails is the one giving advice (Classic Tails to Classic Sonic and Modern Tails to Modern Sonic). Sonic Generations - Mushroom Hill Special Stage Clip". IGN. Ziff Davis. November 22, 2011 . Retrieved October 23, 2017. Kellie. "SEGA at New York Comic Con". SEGA Blog. Sega. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016 . Retrieved September 29, 2017. In the console and PC versions, it takes about five seconds for Classic Sonic to get impatient and 35 to lay on the ground. However, in the 3DS version, it takes 30 seconds for him to get impatient and a whole minute to lay down.