Best of all is how it makes use of both those disparate games. Sonic Generations sees the modern Sonic slipping back in time where he meets his classic counterpart, and the two team up against an as yet unnamed new nemesis as they stop him from obliterating the past. So far so flimsy, but this isn't BioWare (and we all know what happened when it was).
What it does, is excuse a dual dynamic that brings the best elements of Sonic together. On one side you've classic Sonic, who plays through much as you'd remember him from his 16 bit days, with a combination of the d-pad and a single jump button. On the other there's the dynamic 3D acrobatics of modern Sonic, complete with homing jump, dash attack, and an added sense of speed.
For the classic Sonic sections, gameplay is simple and to the point, and what's really heart-warming is how fully it embraces the series' past. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 did a good job of nailing the look of 2D Sonic, but it didn't quite recapture the feel, its physics and sense of momentum feeling a little wayward.
