They should be ashamed of those titles, not referencing them. I expect reincarnations of stages from Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic & Knuckles but why give us re-hashed levels from the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Unleashed - games that were universally hated and practically disowned by Sega. The games they chose to pay homage to are a curious assortment too. The soundtrack is, as usual, absolutely brilliant and features many unlockable classics from Sonic's history, but I think they really missed a trick by not including the Lava Reef Zone theme (undoubtedly the best Sonic tune), Bridge Zone, or even a new version of 'A New Venture' from Sonic Rush Adventure. Graphically, the game is very intense, and it may take a while for you to get used to it. GIVE US SPEED! Stop giving us dead ends and cement shoes! What don't they understand? And can anybody, anybody at all, explain to me the purpose in giving us tokens that knock 5 seconds off the counter when it takes about 10 seconds to reach and collect said token? Is it no more than a sick joke at our expense. This character, this hedgehog, is sold on speed. The one where Sonic is on an ever-so-slight inclination but just cannot get up it because he needs to build up speed. Even with the 2D sections in this game they don't seem to understand that hurtling the character down a declination at a furious speed, the screen unable to keep up with him, only to hit an unforeseeable dead end, is ABSOLUTELY INFURIATING! My biggest complaint is one which ALL Sonic fans will be familiar with. It's incredibly difficult to keep control of Sonic, as a weird inertia pulls him in directions you don't want him to go, and if you get the timing wrong just once you'll pretty much have to quit the level and start over as you're always being judged on speed something that this game consistently prevents you from achieving. Sega have had many chances at getting the 3D presentation right but they just don't get it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Sonic just does NOT belong in a 3D world. The story has Robotnik/Eggman ravage Sonic's world with a time vortex, leaving him stuck in a Limbo that only high speeds through various levels can repair. This self-congratulatory 20th-Anniversary pastiche of his so-called 'best bits' transports across all of Sonic's strengths and, unfortunately, all of his crippling weaknesses. No matter how many times they crank out another Sonic game Sega just don't seem to learn what makes the game great and what makes the game bad. Anyone who played the abysmal Sonic 4 when released in late 2010 will know what I mean. Sonic the Hedgehog and disappointment go hand in hand these days.